


A Stable Heart

by alicesprings



Category: As the World Turns
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M, Regency Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-08-21
Updated: 2011-08-28
Packaged: 2017-10-22 21:42:00
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 49,450
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/242875
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alicesprings/pseuds/alicesprings
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU. When Luke has to hide out from the Grimaldi family, taking a job as a stable hand in Dallas seems like the perfect solution. It’s too bad Luke’s new “boss” Dr. Reid Oliver is such a jerk.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Massive amounts of beta love to the incredible Rhiannonhero and Cindergal! The fic is complete and I’ll be posting a chapter a day for the next week or so.

“The solution to one of our problems may have just fallen into our lap,” Holden says. “I’ve just had a call from one of my contacts in Texas. Nice guy, breeds just outside of Dallas.”

Luke shrugs. “And?”

“And he just sold a couple of horses to some rich doctor out there who needs a stable hand to look after them. Trouble is, he needs someone to start right away but he can’t find anyone. Wanted to know if I knew anyone looking for work. The doc’s prepared to throw in a big bonus so long as they’re at his place today.”

“So what?” Luke says, not getting it.

Holden grins. “Told him I had just the man for the job.”

“You do? Who?” Luke asks. Then it hits him. “Oh no way, Dad!”

“Come on, Luke! The best way to protect you is to hide you away somewhere nobody would think to look. You know how to look after the horses, so you can do the job. We’ll just have to give you a false name and you’ll be out of harm’s way today. It’s perfect!”

Luke sighs. “I have to go today? It’s too soon. We don’t even have time to prepare...”

Holden waves a hand dismissively. “The sooner the better, Luke. This is too good of an opportunity to waste. You’ll live at his house, stay out of sight. No one will suspect a thing. Please son,” Holden says, squeezing Luke’s shoulder. “Your mother and I just want you safe.”

Luke sighs. “Okay, I’ll do it,” he concedes. “I couldn’t stand it if any of you guys got hurt because of me. I’ll leave Oakdale until it’s safe to return.”

*

Later that afternoon, Luke finds himself on Lucinda’s private jet, heading to Dallas. There’s supposed to be a car waiting at the airport to take him out to Dr. Oliver’s — Luke’s new employer — property. The whole thing’s happened so fast Luke hasn’t really had time to think about what exactly he’s gotten himself into. He’s moving to _Texas_ , he has to assume a fake identity, cease contact with his foundation, and he’ll be away from his family and friends with limited contact for God knows how long.

Luke sighs, sending up a silent prayer that everyone back in Oakdale working on getting Luke out of this mess can do it fast. Luke hasn’t even arrived in Dallas yet and he already wants to go back home.

The houses in Dr. Oliver’s neighborhood are impressive. As they drive, they pass large lots with sprawling homes set out on acreage. It’s a ritzy suburb, and clearly one of the wealthier areas of Dallas. Luke wonders what Dr. Oliver's like. All he knows is that he's a neurosurgeon, according to his dad's contact in Dallas.

When Luke arrives at his temporary new home, he’s greeted by a white-haired man wearing a Stetson who introduces himself as Dr. Oliver’s gardener, Juan Torres.

“Luke Sn— Walsh,” he says, introducing himself with the moniker they’d settled on. “It’s nice to meet you.”

Juan squeezes his hand firmly and smiles, his eyes crinkling in deep wrinkles at the sides. “My wife Victoria is Dr. Oliver’s housekeeper,” he says. “We’re here most days; you’ll see us both around the place. She’s already left for the day today. I’ll show you around.”

Luke nods, and follows Juan around to the back of the house. It’s a good size property – just over eight acres, Juan tells him, so there’s plenty of room for two horses. Juan tells him the horses are due to arrive around 5:00, which gives him a couple hours to prepare.

The stable hand’s quarters are small, but neat, and located close to the barn, at the back of the main house. It’s basically just one big room, with a tiny separate bathroom attached. Large, colorful rugs cover the hardwood floor. There’s a small but serviceable kitchen with what looks like a brand new fridge — already stocked, a bed with fresh linens, a table and two chairs, a small couch and a television. There’s also a desk, with instructions on how to access the property’s WiFi jotted down on a notepad.

It’s cozy, and Luke thinks he could be pretty comfortable here. As comfortable as this situation can possibly be, anyway.

There’s something kind of romantic about the ranch style of the house that appeals to Luke. It’s single story with a long, low roofline and an attached garage. The windows are large and decorated with shutters, and there’s a mix of stucco, brick and wood on the exterior that shouldn’t really work together, but it does.

A long driveway is hedged in by manicured bushes and the gardens are lush and pretty.

The property is securely fenced, peaceful and quiet, and far enough away from the neighbors that you could almost forget you were less than twenty minutes from the city, as Juan tells him they are. The air is clean and fresh, and it reminds Luke of Oakdale, and the farm. He feels a pang of longing, and has to squeeze his eyes closed against the feeling for a second. It’s much too early to be homesick already.

All in all, Luke’s new home for the time being looks like a pretty charming place.

After the tour, Luke follows Juan to the barn, where he slides open a big, wooden door. “Dr. Oliver had these things delivered this morning,” he says.

There’s stacks of hay and bags of feed, brand new tack, and all sorts of things Luke’s not even sure he needs, and it’s all unceremoniously piled on the barn floor.

“Looks like I’ve got my work cut out for me,” Luke says, attempting to muster up a smile.

Juan chuckles and claps a hand on his shoulder. “I don’t know why the doctor ordered these horses,” Juan tells him. “And in such a hurry too. He’s shown no interest in horses before and today it was all ‘Hurry, hurry. Get the place ready!’”

Luke shrugs, and together with Juan they begin sorting out the pile of supplies. There’s every conceivable kind of equipment used for horses, and Luke’s pretty sure it must have cost a small fortune. It’s almost like Dr. Oliver had ordered everything, not knowing what he needed. From what Juan tells him, Luke has to wonder if Dr. Oliver even knows anything about horses.

As they make sense of the supplies, Juan tells Luke he and Victoria have worked at the property for almost 30 years. They used to work for an older couple, Bill and Martha Johnson, who’d spent their entire married life there raising three kids before retiring and leaving Texas to move closer to their granddaughter, who has leukemia, in California.

“Does Dr. Oliver have a big family?” Luke asks.

“Nope, no kids.”

“His wife throw lots of parties?”

“Nope,” Juan says again. “He’s not married.”

Luke frowns, wondering why Dr. Oliver needs such a big place, in that case. “Does he have a girlfriend?”

“No girlfriend,” Juan says slowly. “The house is mostly empty. A lot of rooms don’t even have furniture. He just keeps ‘em shut up tight.”

“That’s kind of strange, don’t you think?”

Juan just shrugs and goes to load up a wheelbarrow with wood shavings for them to lay down over the mats.

The horses arrive just before 5 o’clock, as scheduled. A pair of gorgeous chestnut geldings that make Luke smile.

Together with Juan, they finish preparing the floors, and then fill four buckets with fresh, clean water, putting two in each stall. Luke measures out a few quarts of grain for each horse, and he and Juan toss three or four flakes of hay on the floor of each stall before Juan shakes Luke’s hand again, tips his hat good bye, and heads home.

*

Luke’s just finished getting the horses settled into their new home for the night and gone inside to grab a bottle of water from the fridge when there’s a knock on his door.

“You the stable boy?”

The guy is about Luke’s height, lean, and with piercing blue eyes. He’s younger than Luke was expecting, though he’s not really sure why. He supposes he just assumed a brain surgeon would be older.

Luke smiles. “I’m Luke Walsh,” he says, holding out his hand.

He nods and shakes Luke’s hand. “Dr. Reid Oliver. You can call me Dr. Oliver.”

Luke quirks up one eyebrow. “Okay then, _Doctor_ Oliver. Would you like to take a look at your horses?”

“Not particularly,” Dr. Oliver says. “Just have them ready by 8:00 a.m tomorrow.”

“Ready for what?”

“Someone’s coming to see them.”

“Should I saddle them up?”

Dr. Oliver shakes his head. “No need. Just have them spiffy and shiny or whatever the hell it is you do that I’m paying you for.”

Luke narrows his eyes. He hates it when rich people throw that phrase around. Luke’s pretty sure he could buy and sell Dr. Oliver about three times over, brain surgeon or not, but he’s supposed to be under cover so he refrains from pointing out that Dr. Oliver isn’t paying Luke to put up with his bad attitude, just to look after his horses.

“Are you sure you don’t want to just come and take a quick look at the horses?”

“Let’s be clear, Mr. Walsh,” he says. “I don’t give a damn about the horses, your role here is to watch them so that I don’t have to.”

“Why’d you buy them then?” Luke asks, irritated.

“And that’s your business how?”

“I guess because they are my business. I’ll be taking care of them.”

“Why I do anything is never up for discussion, am I clear? We aren’t going to be friends. I’m your employer and I run a tight ship. Just do your job and we’ll be fine.”

“So, you bought the horses for what? Show? Prestige?”

Reid glares at him. “You know, I don’t have time for this. I don’t need to explain myself to you. Do your job, or I’ll fire you. Are we clear?”

“Crystal. I’ll have the horses all shiny and spiffy tomorrow for their visitor.”

Dr. Oliver nods and turns, walking back to the main house without a backwards glance.

“I’m fine too, thanks for asking,” Luke says sarcastically as he closes the door. “All settled in, so happy to be here!”

Luke pulls a pair of clean boxer shorts and a t-shirt out of his suitcase and heads for the bathroom, eager to wash the day away. “And you’re only paying me a pittance, by the way,” Luke mutters as he pulls off his clothes, “to spit shine your horses.”

Stable hands really don’t get paid much, so it’s not as if Dr. Oliver’s doing him a disservice in that regard. Still, the guy could have been less of an ass. He must have appalling bedside manner. Luke thinks of the wage he’s earning here, which will be paid into a bank account under the name of L. Walsh – one of his grandmother’s accounts – and decides to donate the money to the ASPCA when this whole charade ends.

Luke steps into the shower and lets the hot water run over his head and shoulders, turning his face up into the spray.

As he shampoos his hair, he thinks of Noah, and wonders what he’s doing right now. He wonders if Noah’s missing him as much as Luke misses Noah. This latest breakup has been the toughest one yet. Noah had said so many awful things — they both had, but Luke had taken them back almost immediately. Sure, they’ve broken up before, but they always get back together again. Only this time, Noah’s out in L.A. and Luke hasn’t seen him in months. He’s been biding his time until Noah returns to Oakdale. He’s sure they’ll get back together again then. It’s just a matter of time.

 _Time_. It’s all Luke’s got now. Tons of it. Luke has no idea how long he’s going to have to stay here, acting out this charade, until it’s safe for him to return home. “Damnit!” Luke bangs his fist against the tiled shower wall, and a sudden burst of pain radiates down his arm.

“Idiot,” Luke mutters to himself, stretching out his fingers as the throbbing pain slowly recedes. He can’t afford to hurt his hands, he’s here to work as a stable hand, after all. This situation sucks, but there’s nothing to be done about it. It’s not safe for his family if Luke’s in Oakdale right now, and besides, there are horses to tend to. They need him.

Luke turns off the water and steps out of the shower, grabbing a fluffy towel from the rack — left there for him by Victoria, who, Juan had told him, had cleaned and stocked his quarters earlier today in preparation for Luke’s arrival.

Dr. Oliver is a jerk, but he sure doesn’t mind throwing his money around, that much is clear. The horses, and Luke’s presence here are proof of that. Too bad the guy doesn’t seem the least bit interested in the horses he’s paid top dollar for. And it’s too bad he’s such a pompous ass because he’s kind of good looking. Not that Luke cares about that.

“Jackass,” Luke mutters as he slaps together a sandwich for dinner. He’s too exhausted from the mentally draining stresses of leaving home, the flight, and getting the barn prepped for the horses to even begin contemplating cooking something.

He pulls the cell phone his dad had given him before leaving out of his bag and sends a text with one hand as he bites into his sandwich with the other. _All good._

A few moments later he gets a reply. _Glad to hear it. Take care._

Luke sighs. He’d prefer to call and hear his dad’s voice right now, but they promised to try and stick to ambiguous texts only, barring an emergency. The cell phone is brand new, and Holden has one too, both with untraceable phone numbers and paid for in cash. Luke rolled his eyes at the melodrama of it all, but the threat against him, and his family, is serious, and Luke’s willing to go along with whatever it takes to ensure their safety.

With his sandwich demolished, Luke sets the alarm on his phone to wake him in time to have the horses prepped in the morning, crawls into bed and falls asleep in seconds.

*

Morning comes much too soon, and Luke’s up by 6:30, sucking down a cup of coffee and pulling on some work clothes. He heads for the barn and measures out two buckets of feed, talking quietly to the horses while they eat their breakfast.

“How ya doing there, guy?” Luke asks, patting one of the horses. “Liking your new place so far?”

The horse nickers quietly, munching on his oats.

“I’m not so sure myself,” Luke says glumly. “I’m gonna reserve judgment for a while.”

When the horses have eaten, Luke moves them out of their stalls and gets started on the cleaning. He hauls the soiled bedding out in a wheelbarrow, then spreads a couple of inches of fresh wood shavings down. By the time he’s put fresh drinking water into each stall, groomed and corralled the horses back in, it’s after eight o’clock and Luke’s famished.

He heads back inside and hurriedly eats a bowl of cereal, and a few minutes later he hears the sound of a car pulling into the driveway. Luke walks back to the barn, awaiting the arrival of Dr. Oliver’s guest, wondering who it could be, and just a few minutes later, his question is answered.

Dr. Oliver leads a pretty, brunette woman, probably in her early 30s, out of the house. Luke wonders if she’s his girlfriend. Maybe Juan was wrong? A second later, a young girl, no more than seven or eight dashes out of the house and runs up the woman, clasping her hand.

The woman smiles down at her, and all three of them start walking towards the barn. The little girl is grinning, skipping as they walk, and it’s clear she’s excited to see the horses.

“Hold my hand, Dr. Reid!” The little girl demands, and Luke’s more than a little surprised to see Dr. Jackass smile down at her, and take her other hand. It’s just a fleeting smile, one that disappears almost immediately, but Luke can’t help but notice how it softens his face, makes him seem more... human. The two adults swing the little girl between them as they walk, and her happy laughter rings out.

When they arrive at the barn, Dr. Oliver releases the girl’s hand and approaches Luke.

“Good morning, Dr. Oliver.”

Dr. Oliver nods curtly but doesn’t return the greeting.

“They ready?”

“Yes,” Luke says. “You can bring your guests in.”

The woman approaches with a smile, and Luke returns it.

“Hello,” he says politely.

“Hi, I’m Laura Judd,” she says, sending a sideways glance at Dr. Oliver.

Luke waits for him to make the introductions, but he doesn’t say a word, so Luke holds his hand out and initiates them himself. “Luke Walsh, I’m the stable hand.”

Laura smiles at him again, and says, “This is my daughter, Annie.”

The little girl smiles up at him shyly, her face framed by a mass of dark curls.

Luke crouches down and holds out his hand, and Annie giggles as she shakes it.

“Hi there, Annie,” he says. “I’m Luke. Have you come to see the horses?”

Annie nods, and Luke stands back up, clapping his hands against his thighs.

“Well come on in,” he smiles. “They’re right this way.”

Luke leads them to the stalls where the horses are waiting, then stands back out of the way.

Laura picks Annie up and holds her on her hip. “Look, baby,” she says, pointing at the horses. “Aren’t they pretty?”

Annie nods, then cranes her neck. “Come and look, Dr. Reid,” she says. “Look at the horsies!”

Dr. Oliver flashes that quick smile again and steps closer, and the three of them peer into the first stall.

If Dr. Oliver would smile like that more often, he probably wouldn’t be half so bad, Luke decides.

The horse comes closer, wanting to meet his visitors, and Luke says, “Do you want to touch them, Annie?”

Her eyes are wide, and a little uncertain, and Luke smiles at her. “They won’t bite,” he reassures her. “What do you say?”

She nods, and Luke holds his hand out, running it firmly down one of the horse’s nose. He neighs quietly, and Annie grins.

“It’s okay, baby,” Laura says. “Touch the horsie just like Luke’s doing.”

Annie nods and leans forward, her small hand stroking along the horse’s nose, and she laughs delightedly.

“It feels funny, Mommy!”

Laura smiles, and Annie brings her other hand out too, both of them exploring the horse’s nose and neck.

“What’s its name, Dr. Reid?”

“Uh,” Dr. Oliver clears his throat. “He doesn’t actually have a name yet,” he says. “Maybe you can help me decide what to name them both. How does that sound?”

“I can name them anything I want?” Annie asks, her eyes wide.

“Yup,” he says. “Well, nothing too girlie like Buttercup, or Daisy.” Dr. Oliver pulls a disgusted face, and Annie laughs. “Boys names. They’re both boys,” he says, then turns to Luke for confirmation. “Right?”

“Yeah, they’re both boys,” Luke says. “Geldings.”

Great. So, this jerk’s bought two expensive horses just to impress some woman with a kid. It’s clear he doesn’t know the first thing about the animals, like whether they’re male or female, or particularly cares, either. Luke fumes as the trio move over and start petting the second horse, chattering about possible names. Buying a horse isn’t like buying a goldfish. They need a lot of care, attention and money, and Luke begins to feel incredibly angry as he watches the three of them interact.

They only spend about twenty minutes with the horses before Annie starts getting restless and whiny.

“You tired, baby?” Laura asks, and Annie nods.

“We should go,” Laura says to Dr. Oliver and he nods and starts to leads them out of the barn.

“Bye, Sonny! Bye, Storm!” Annie calls out to the horses with the names they decided on.

Laura stops by the barn door and turns around. “Thank you, Luke,” she smiles, and Luke grins. “No problem!”

Laura Judd seems like a nice person, even if Luke’s new boss is rude and way too entitled. He hopes Dr. Oliver treats his girlfriends better than he treats his employees.

“Bye, Luke,” Annie says, and waves, and Luke waves back. Dr. Oliver just stares at him for a long moment, then leads them back to the house, and a few minutes later Luke hears the sound of a car heading down the driveway. A moment later, a second car follows.

“Guess he’s gone to work,” Luke tells the horses. “Show’s over for the day, boys.”

The horses blow gently and nuzzle at each other, and Luke leaves them to get used to their new home, heading inside for a quick shower.

Afterwards, Luke unpacks his suitcase, hanging shirts in the closet and putting socks and underwear into the dresser, then sets his laptop up at the desk, connects to the internet and checks his email. He can’t reply to anything, though. He’s not supposed to contact anyone except his dad until this whole mess gets sorted out.

Luke’s already itching to get back to work with his Foundation, there’s an exciting project for at-risk gay and lesbian teens he was working on before the threat, and he hates having to postpone it, but he can’t take the chance, not when it also puts his family in danger.

Luke sighs and closes the laptop, deciding to head back to the stables to get the rest of the supplies organized. He separates the equipment he’ll need from the stuff he doesn’t, arranging everything neatly, and then feeds the horses their lunch before leading them out to the pasture while he tidies their stalls again. Luke’s been around horses since he was a little kid, and he’s no stranger to mucking out stalls or grooming the horses, but he’s never had to take it on as a full-time responsibility, and the tri-daily feeding and cleaning routine isn’t exactly Luke’s favorite way to spend his time.

Just before lunch an older woman walks in to the barn and calls out a hello. She has a long black braid peppered with grey, is at least two feet shorter than Luke, and a little on the plump side. Her eyes crinkle when she smiles and in a strange way she reminds Luke of his grandma Emma, even though they look nothing alike.

“You must be Victoria,” Luke says, and she nods and shakes his hand.

“And you must be Luke,” she says. “Juan told me he met you yesterday.”

“He told me all about you,” Luke says. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“You too, mijo,” she says kindly. “Can I see the horses?”

“Of course!” Luke says, and shows her Sonny and Storm. “I’m glad someone’s interested in them. Dr. Oliver sure isn’t,” Luke says.

Victoria laughs and strokes the white stripe on Storm’s nose. “Dr. Oliver’s a real character,” she says.

“He’s something all right,” Luke mutters. “He’s kind of... cold, don’t you think?”

Victoria smiles fondly. “He can seem that way,” she says. “But he’s a good man underneath.”

Luke’s skeptical, but he can see that Victoria obviously cares about Dr. Oliver, and he’s curious as to why. His behavior so far has done nothing to endear him to Luke.

“I bet it was a real change when he came around,” Luke says, trying to fish for information without being too obvious. “He must have been really different from the Johnsons.”

Victoria smiles again. “Dr. Oliver is particular,” she says. “He likes things done a certain way, but he admires a job well done, too. I can’t complain.”

Luke files that information away, and Victoria gives Sonny one final pat before moving over to Storm.

Luke asks, “Do you ride?”

“I used to,” she says, stroking the horse’s neck. “Years ago. I can’t manage it any more. The arthritis in my knees slows me down.”

Luke wrinkles his nose in sympathy. “So, do you work here every day?”

“I have the weekends off,” Victoria says. “And sometimes during the week, too. The house is much emptier than when the Johnsons lived here, so there’s not as much to do, but I prepare meals for Dr. Oliver, too. Mrs. Johnson did her own cooking.”

Luke nods, and Victoria asks, “Do you need anything, Luke? More groceries, towels, anything?”

“No, I’m good,” Luke says. “Thank you for getting everything ready for me. It’s a nice place.”

“It’s a beautiful house,” Victoria says. “I like it here very much. And now I should get back to the cleaning!”

“I’ll see you around,” Luke says, and Victoria smiles, pats his cheek and ambles back to the house.

Luke makes himself a sandwich for lunch then checks his email again out of habit. He still can’t make contact with anyone though, and he’s incredibly frustrated. There’s still a few hours before Luke needs to bring the horses in for the night. Luke’s unpacked, his fridge is stocked and there’s nothing much else to do.

In his hurry to pack and leave Oakdale as quickly as possible, Luke forgot to grab some books to read, and he doesn’t own an e-reader. He’s always loved the smell of books, the weight of them in his hands and prefers that to an electronic device. He’d kind of kill to have one right now though. He weighs up the pros and cons of having a package delivered, but decides not to risk it. He doesn’t know how closely his family is being watched, but he doesn’t want to take the chance of a Grimaldi getting curious about why his grandmother would be having stuff delivered to an address in Dallas, Texas. Luke supposes he could go into the city and buy some books, but he has no way of getting in without a vehicle. Then again, he should probably lay low and stay out of sight anyway. He’s here because his life is in danger, not for a vacation.

Restless and bored, he opens up a blank word processing document on his laptop. Luke bites his lip, and stares at the page. He rests his elbows on the desk and leans forward in the chair. The last thing Luke wrote was the film script he gave Noah to use for his film. Luke was so excited about working with Noah on the project, but Mason had dashed his hopes pretty quickly. Luke’s script had “potential”, but it wasn’t good enough. Luke hadn’t felt much of an urge to write after that. Besides, then he’d started working with Damian at Grimaldi Shipping, and then his dad had been presumed dead in Kentucky, and things went crazy. Life just took over.

Luke stares at the blank page and sighs again. He used to love to write. There was a time he thought he was pretty good at it, and could maybe even do it professionally. That seems like a lifetime ago now. Luke’s rusty, he hasn’t written anything that’s not related to work in months. He’s not even sure where to start. Nothing heavy. Maybe something like those dumb historical romance novels his sister reads and swoons over. Only gay. Why not? Shits and giggles, Luke tells himself, and begins to type.

  


>   
> _Derbyshire, England, 1816_
> 
>  
> 
> Lukas Smith had been a boy of just thirteen, and still shaken by his father’s untimely death from typhoid fever when he and his mother, Lilian, had arrived at Oakdale Hall. It was one of the grandest estates in Derbyshire, and took a staff of forty servants to keep it running in order. The Lovells were among the wealthiest landowners in England, and divided their time between Oakdale Hall and their residences at London and Bath.
> 
> His mother had worked her way up from scullery maid to one of the upper housemaids, impressing Mrs Lovell with her appearance and manners. Lukas and his mother had a comfortable life, if not the one Lukas secretly dreamed of.
> 
> Lukas spent most of his time in the stable block, a large two story building behind the main house which had stalls for up to eighty horses, and a huge blacksmith’s shop which was always hot and steamy. With such a large number of horses, farriers worked constantly to keep them in shoes, and the carriage house was a hive of activity, quieting only at night when the men fell into exhausted slumber.
> 
> Mr. Holden, the head coachman, had taken Lukas under his wing, teaching him how to care for the horses, and over the years, Mr. Holden had become like a father to Lukas. The man held a deep love for the animals under his care, and he took pride in maintaining the best stable block in the shire.
> 
> Lukas knew Mr. Holden also cared deeply for Lilian, and his mother returned Holden’s affections, though they tried to pretend otherwise. Lukas knew his mother was trying to protect his feelings, so distraught he’d been over his father’s death, but Lukas was no longer a boy; he was a man, and it warmed his heart that his mother had found happiness once more. However, he was content to let them go on as they were and maintain their illusion of secrecy. After all, their attempt at subterfuge was not harming anyone.
> 
> Mr. Winston was in charge of the blacksmith’s shop, and his young striker was Noah, Lukas’s best friend. The first floor of the stable block was occupied by granaries and accommodation for the many stable staff, including Lukas and Noah.
> 
> Lukas and Noah were not only the best of friends, they also shared a secret. One which could cause them great harm if it were they to be discovered.
> 
> Noah had come to Oakdale Hall more than two years prior. An orphan, he had forged his way from London through Leicestershire, working along the way as a stable boy and labourer before arriving in Derbyshire. The pair were inseparable from the time Noah arrived.
> 
> Lukas had always known he preferred the company of his fellow man rather than that of women, although he had never acted on his feelings until a day almost two years prior. Lukas and Noah had been out by the pond, having performed their morning chores and seeking to escape the stifling heat of the stable block. Mr. Winston had been shouting for Noah, his face red and sweaty as he bellowed, and Lukas and Noah had laughed gaily as they snuck away.
> 
> The Lovells were away in Bath, and though they were not supposed to, Lukas and Noah had taken a dip in the pond, seeking to cool down. When they emerged, collapsing onto the lawn with their wet shirts clinging to them, and laughing without a care in the world, Noah had leaned over and kissed Lukas on the mouth. Lukas was shocked at first, and Noah had run away looking mortified and proclaiming it nothing but a joke.
> 
> Lukas had confronted him later that night and reassured him, telling him that his attention was not unwanted, and ever since, the two of them would try to steal away as often as they could, making time to share their fervent kisses. This had gone on for over a year, and it was just a few months earlier when Noah had finally allowed Lukas to touch his penis intimately, something Lukas had been begging to do for months, almost as long as he had long been bringing himself to release with Noah’s name on his lips.
> 
> They had snuck away from the stable block late at night, and run off to one of the groves of Oak trees near the eastern side of the house, closest to the stable block. Noah had allowed Lukas to pull his engorged shaft from his trousers and bring him to a release with his hand. It had been wonderful, even though Noah had not been ready to do the same to Lukas, but he knew his day would come.
> 
> For now, Lukas had to be content with the stolen moments he and Noah could find. If anyone were to see them, or find out what they did together, it would be disastrous. It wasn’t simply lust which fueled Lukas, however, it was love, He loved Noah, and did not believe there was anything sinful about it. How could love possibly be sinful? Noah would laugh at Lukas when he spoke of such things, and though he proclaimed to care about Lukas, he had not yet returned Lukas’s proclamations of love, refusing to believe that two men should love each other as a man and woman do.
> 
> *
> 
> Lukas had been at Oakdale Hall for more than five years and was yet to meet his master’s only son. Jude Lovell had been away at Eton College when Lukas and his mother had first arrived, and then later at the University of Oxford, spending his holidays at the Lovells’ London residence. Now, at three and twenty, with his education completed, Mr. Lovell would be returning to the country estate in Derbyshire for the first time since his childhood.
> 
> The servants had been preparing for his arrival for weeks. The house staff were busy readying the east wing of the house which was to be used for Mr. Lovell’s quarters, the kitchen staff had been instructed to stock up on his favorite foods, and the cook had been preparing furred game and fowl, and boiling beef for days.
> 
> Lukas was curious about the young man, whose arrival had been met with such fanfare, but he had been at Oakdale Hall for more than a week before Lukas finally met him. He had come to the stable block one day demanding a horse be prepared.
> 
> “You,” Mr. Lovell pointed at him. “What’s your name?”
> 
> “Lukas Smith, Sir.”
> 
> Mr. Lovell sniffed. “How old are you, boy?”
> 
> “Eighteen.”
> 
> “Well,” Mr. Lovell sniffed again. “Saddle up a horse for me, Smith. I wish to go riding.”
> 
> “Yes, Sir,” Lukas answered, scrambling to undertake the task. “Was there a particular horse you wished to ride?”
> 
> “No,” he answered. “I don’t care, just hurry yourself; I wish to leave before dark.”
> 
> “Yes, Sir,” Lukas muttered. There were still several hours until nightfall.
> 
> Jude Lovell was about Lukas’s height, but a little leaner, and his tight, riding breeches revealed well-muscled thighs and buttocks as he mounted his steed. His hair curled along the back of his neck and over his forehead, and seemed to be a mix of colours which looked different depending on the light. His cheekbones were prominent and his jaw line strong, and his eyes were a piercing blue. It was a striking face, and Lukas could admit to himself, a handsome one, but his behaviour made him decidedly unattractive in Lukas’s eyes.
> 
> In the time since he had arrived, Mr. Lovell had taken to stomping about Oakdale Hall with a surly look on his face, ordering servants around with a sharp tongue, and disrupting the household’s previously smooth running. His mother had told him the man was cold and rude to all the house staff, and Channing, the valet who had been assigned to Mr. Lovell was receiving tongue lashings daily, as nothing pleased Mr. Lovell; the accommodations were too draughty, the food ill-prepared, and his clothes improperly pressed.
> 
> Lukas had observed Mr. Lovell walking around the gardens from a distance once or twice, and he was yet to see the man smile. He wore an almost constant frown, which furrowed his brow and pursed his lips. On the occasions Lukas would see him, he found himself hoping he would smile, just once, so that Lukas would know it was possible. But nothing seemed to please Mr. Lovell, and he complained about everything; the food, the weather, and the service provided by the house servants, who gossipped about him with great venom and fervour. Now that Lukas had met the man for himself, he could do nothing but agree with the reports of his bad manners.
> 
> When he had returned from his ride, Lukas had been high above in the hayloft, and it had fallen to Hughes, one of the other stable boys to take the horse from Mr. Lovell.
> 
> “Where’s the other boy?” Mr. Lovell had demanded. “Smith.”
> 
> Hughes had looked around, seeking out Lukas, and to his shame he had not made his presence known, wishing to avoid the rebuke he sensed was coming. Instead, he hid behind a large stack of straw bales.
> 
> “Not here, Sir,” Hughes had answered. “But I can take him. I’ll groom him well, Sir.”
> 
> “I doubt that!” Mr. Lovell had scoffed. “I don’t believe any of you fools know the first thing about horses,” he said, and Lukas noted the flush of red on his neck, and the sweat on his brow.
> 
> “When I wish to go riding I expect nothing but the finest steed, and instead Smith gave me this nag!”
> 
> Lukas flinched from his hidden position above. He had saddled up one of the finer horses. The stallion was no more a nag that Lukas was. The man was simply insufferable.
> 
> “Sorry, Sir,” Hughes had said. “It won’t happen again.”
> 
> “It had better not!” Mr. Lovell had said, and stormed from the stable block, his chest heaving as though he had been in full exertion.

  


Luke stops typing and leans back in his chair, cracking his knuckles as his eyes quickly scan over what he’s written. He’s not entirely sure where the story’s going, or even where it came from, but the words are flowing and Luke’s missed this creative feeling, so he decides not to examine it too closely, and just go with it.

He doesn’t see Dr. Oliver for the rest of the day. Not used to the physical requirements of his new job, Luke’s tired from the day’s labor and already tucked up in bed by 10:00. He’s drifting between asleep and awake when he hears the sound of a car in the driveway. Dr. Oliver must have been working late, Luke thinks, closing his eyes.

Long, hard hours.

Luke sighs, his body relaxing into the mattress. The edges of his mind going fuzzy as sleep calls to him. His mind turns to Noah, and as tired as he is, he feels his cock stirring. Relaxing even further into the mattress, Luke slips his hand inside his boxer shorts, and starts to stroke himself, enjoying the weight of his cock in his hand.

A moment later, the door swings open quietly, and Dr. Oliver appears, not much more than a silhouette, the moonlight spilling in behind him. He’s holding a briefcase in one hand, and it’s obvious he hasn’t gone inside the main house yet.

“What are you doing here?” Luke whispers.

“Shh,” Dr. Oliver says quietly. “Just relax.”

Luke closes his eyes again, and hears Dr. Oliver’s footsteps padding across the hardwood floor. A moment later, the sheet is pulled gently away from the bed and Dr. Oliver’s hand is on him, his fingers skimming down Luke’s bare arm. Luke shivers, goosebumps breaking out over his flesh, then Dr. Oliver’s warm hand slips inside Luke’s boxer shorts, nudging Luke’s hand aside and taking over the strokes, tugging him to full hardness.

Luke gasps, sitting upright in bed. The room’s empty, no one’s here. Luke slumps back down.

 _God_. What the hell was that? Luke exhales harshly, his heart pounding in his chest.

He tries to steady his racing heart, and get back to that warm, sleepy place from earlier. Luke misses Noah, that’s all this is. He’s horny, and lonely, and writing that story earlier probably didn’t help. Luke just hadn’t realized until now that he’s written such a strong physical resemblance between Dr. Oliver and Mr. Lovell.

Luke pushes his hand against his crotch, rubbing a little. He’s hard, and the friction feels good, but he takes his hand away and turns on his side, refusing to jerk off with that dream still fresh. Luke closes his eyes again, but it’s a long time before he falls asleep.

*

Luke’s bent over shoveling soiled bedding in the stables the next morning when Dr. Oliver appears, a mug of coffee in his hand.

“Mr. Walsh,” he says from behind, startling Luke.

“Dr. Oliver, I didn’t hear you come in. Good morning.”

Luke’s a little flustered by the memory of his thoughts about Dr. Oliver last night, and a little discomfited by how good Dr. Oliver looks this morning, fresh but still a little sleepy, his face softer than Luke’s seen it before. Luke notices his jawline, and that the top three buttons of his shirt are undone, showing off a long expanse of his neck.

Dr. Oliver’s long, slender fingers are wrapped around the handle of his coffee mug, and Luke makes a note to add in a description of Mr Lovell’s hands to his story, remembering how those fingers felt around his cock in his dream. Luke’s heart speeds up and he feels a little shaky, annoyed at himself for even thinking those thoughts. Dr. Oliver’s obnoxious, and a jerk, and _straight_. And _not_ Jude Lovell. Besides, he’s in love with Noah. Luke doesn’t know what the hell is wrong with himself. He turns away for a moment to put down the shovel and collect his thoughts.

“Everything all right here?” Dr. Oliver asks. “The horses settled in?”

 _Oh, now he cares?_ Luke thinks angrily. “Yes,” Luke says curtly. “They seem happy enough, and there’s enough supplies to last a while.”

“Right, that’s good,” Dr. Oliver says, a little awkwardly. He clears his throat and taps his hand against his thigh. He seems almost nervous, and it confuses Luke. He’s been nothing but a jerk so far, and Luke’s not sure what to make of this switch.

“When you need to restock, give my assistant a call, she arranged for this stuff,” Dr. Oliver nods at the piles of equipment Luke organized yesterday. “She has all the details. There’s an account set up in my name with one of the local suppliers.”

“Your assistant arranged everything?” Luke asks. “The horses, too?”

Dr. Oliver nods, and Luke smiles wryly. “That explains it, then.”

“Explains what?”

“There’s a lot of stuff here you don’t really need,” Luke says. “Equipment, mostly. _Expensive_ equipment.”

Dr. Oliver shrugs, apparently unconcerned at the small fortune he’s wasted. “Well, just order what you do need next time. Do you have your own vehicle?”

Luke shakes his head no.

“Okay, talk to Juan, he can pick it up,” Dr. Oliver says. He hesitates a moment. “Victoria buys groceries for me,” he says. “She could probably pick stuff up for you too if you want, or take you with her. I don’t think she’d mind. You should talk to her.”

“That sounds great, actually,” Luke says, thinking it would be best not to venture away from the safety of his anonymity at the property if he can avoid it. “Thanks.”

Dr. Oliver nods, then turns to leave.

“Wait,” Luke says. “Do you have a trainer for the horses?”

“No,” Dr. Oliver frowns. “Why would I?”

“Uh, they need exercise,” Luke says.

Dr. Oliver snorts. “So exercise them.”

“Stable hands don’t usually ride the horses,” Luke begins to explain.

“You know how to ride, don’t you?” Dr. Oliver says. “So, ride them.”

Luke sighs. The jerk’s back. “What about your guests?” Luke asks. “Will they be returning?”

“Yes,” he says. “I’ll inform you beforehand, like last time.”

“Okay,” Luke says, and watches Dr. Oliver leave the stables, stopping to wipe his shoes on the way out, cursing about germs and horse poop under his breath.

Luke snickers softly at Dr. Oliver’s obvious disdain for the mess associated with the horses, and wonders why he went to such extreme lengths — and expense — just to impress a woman who’s not even his girlfriend yet. Then again, he did seem to actually _like_ Annie, too, so maybe he’s not all bad. Besides, Luke would do almost anything for Noah, no matter the cost, so he sort of gets it.

Sighing, and annoyed at himself for even _thinking_ charitable thoughts about Dr. Oliver, Luke gets back to work.

*

Luke gets contact information for Dr. Oliver’s assistant, and talks to Victoria about his groceries. They decide it’ll be easiest if she picks up a weekly order for him when she does her regular shopping for Dr. Oliver. He sees Juan again, too, out along the driveway trimming bushes that barely need it, and doing other tasks that seem entirely unnecessary to Luke. He shakes his head once more at Dr. Oliver’s apparent need to throw around his money.

Half a week passes and by now Luke’s settled into a routine. He gets up early to feed the horses, then his day is divided between feeding, grooming and cleaning activities. He’s writing more, too, his silly story, as well as scraps of a bunch of different ideas, but he misses his work with the Foundation, and the routine of his life in Oakdale. He misses the coffee at Java, and the chili at Al’s. Most of all, he misses his family, and he misses Noah.

Luke thinks about Dr. Oliver, and how Juan had said he had no family that visited. Luke wonders if there are people he misses, and who miss him in return, then decides no one could miss such a jerk. Then he remembers Victoria’s words in the stable, that Dr. Oliver was a good man underneath. Luke’s yet to see it. He wonders how she knows that, what he’s done to prove it. Luke’s almost never seen him home when Juan or Victoria are here, but he supposes two years is long enough for them to know him better than Luke does. He’s barely been here a week, after all.

Luke hasn’t seen Dr. Oliver since the morning in the barn. He usually leaves for work sometime before nine and doesn’t get home until dark. He’s worked late more than a few times, too, Luke’s heard his car in the driveway around 11:00 more than once. He doesn’t spend much time at home, but Luke imagines that will have to change when things with Laura Judd kick into gear. Workaholicism doesn’t really go well with relationships. Luke and Noah’s implosion is proof enough of that.


	2. Chapter 2

When Laura and Annie Judd come back a few days later, Luke offers to show Annie how to brush and groom the horses. She loves it, giggling and chattering nonstop the whole time.

Dr. Oliver’s actually pretty sweet with Annie, which surprises Luke, and when the two of them laugh together, Luke finds himself smiling, too. Dr. Oliver’s pretty handsome when he lightens up. It’s too bad he’s such a jerk.

Luke wonders if Laura Judd knows the real Dr. Oliver, or if he’s just playing nice to fool her into bed. He also wonders what will happen to the horses if the trick doesn't pay off for Dr. Oliver. What if Laura doesn't fall for him, or things end badly? He won’t keep the horses around, Luke’s sure, and that means he’ll probably be out of a job, too.

Luke catches Dr. Oliver staring at him several times during the visit, and he shifts uncomfortably, not sure what the guy’s problem is. Sure, Luke’s still feeling a little pissed that Dr. Oliver seems to have such little interest in the horses — he doesn’t come near the barn beyond the Judds’ visits, but there’s not much Luke can do about it. There’s no shortage of supplies for the horses, and Luke’s been hired to care for them, and so he does. Besides, the horses are probably just as happy here as they would be anywhere else. Luke’s bored though, and he misses his work, and his family, and Noah, terribly. If he could just call and hear his mom or dad’s voice... But he can’t.

Luke’s daydreaming, lost in his thoughts of home, when Dr. Oliver snaps two fingers in front of his face.

Luke starts, blinking and realizing that he’s missed Laura and Annie’s departure. He flushes. “Sorry, I spaced out for a minute there.”

Dr. Oliver raises both eyebrows. “This is what I’m paying you for?”

Luke groans. “Oh, get over it,” he says. “ _Doctor_ Oliver.”

Dr. Oliver stares at him for a long moment, his tongue poking between his lips, and amusement in his eyes. Luke can tell he’s trying hard not to smile. “Get back to work, _Mister_ Walsh.”

Luke straightens up and salutes, and Dr. Oliver fails to hide his smile this time, turning away quickly to try and cover his amusement as he leaves the stable. On the way out, he steps in something a little suspicious, and Luke can’t help but grin as Dr. Oliver curses, grumbling as he wipes his shoe on the grass outside.

Luke finishes grooming Sonny, then heads back outside. He hasn’t talked to Victoria in a couple days, and he decides to walk over to the house and say hello. She always smiles and pats his cheek and calls him _mijo_ , and Luke’s feeling just self-pitying enough to seek out a dose of substitute-grandma affection.

She should have arrived at work by now, the Judds left about a half hour ago, and Luke assumes Dr. Oliver’s gone off to the hospital already, so when he steps up to the back porch of the house and hears raised voices through the open screen door, he freezes.

Apparently, Dr. Oliver _is_ still here. Luke can hear him shouting at who he assumes is Victoria.

“I pay you to do a job,” Luke hears. “A simple job. A job any idiot could do, and _you’re_ that idiot!”

Luke winces, hesitating for a second before opening the door and walking inside the house. He heads toward the voices and finds himself in the doorway to the kitchen.

Victoria’s eyes are downcast and Dr. Oliver’s back is to Luke as he continues to berate her.

“It’s not a difficult job,” he’s saying. “It’s not like, oh say, _brain surgery_ , but if you find it so difficult to perform your duties properly, then by all means, get out of here. Your husband too. Comprende?”

Luke’s mouth drops open in shock at Dr. Oliver’s cruel words, but Victoria just says, “Yes, Dr. Oliver.”

He nods once before turning to pick his briefcase up off the kitchen bench.

“Great,” he says when he spots Luke. “Another idiot on my payroll. Quit gawking, the show’s over.”

Dr. Oliver stalks past Luke and heads out of the kitchen. A moment later they hear the front door slam, and after that the sound of his car taking off.

“Are you all right?” Luke asks Victoria. She looks upset, and shaken up, and Luke feels incredibly angry on her behalf. “He has no right to talk to you like that.”

“He has a temper, but I did make a mistake,” she says.

“What did you do?”

Victoria sighs. “Dr. Oliver likes things done a certain way,” she says, pointing at the ajar door of the pantry. Luke glances inside and sees that it’s meticulously organized, with dozens of cans arranged by height, and assorted Tupperware containers all labeled and dated lined up along the shelves. “He likes to have the cans facing the same way, and I was distracted, some of them were wrong.”

“That’s it?” Luke asks, incredulous. “He was yelling at you about some _cans_?”

Victoria chuckles and pats his cheek, and Luke feels like he’s missing something, but he doesn’t know what exactly.

“It’s okay, mijo,” she says. “You don’t know him like I do.”

Luke’s not sure what else there is to know, he’s seen enough of Dr. Oliver’s behavior by now to know that the man’s rude, and cold, arrogant as hell, short-tempered, and he also apparently gets off on on tormenting his servants with ludicrous demands and threats.

“You don’t have to put up with it, you know,” Luke says, thinking that he’d never stick around if Dr. Oliver ever spoke to him that way. Luke doesn’t _have_ to stay here, he has money and resources and he could go on hiding out somewhere else if he has to, but Victoria and Juan probably don’t have that option.

Victoria just smiles gently, and says, “Yes, mijo, I do.”

Luke makes a frustrated sound, torn between wanting to come clean and confess his true identity and promising to help Victoria with money if she needs it, and maintaining his cover to keep his family safe.

Victoria just pats his cheek again and says, “Don’t you worry, Luke. I’m all right. I was just upset about Annie, and distracted, and Dr. Oliver, he got a call from the hospital with bad news about one of his patients. We were both upset.”

Luke frowns. “You were upset about Annie? Annie who? Annie Judd?”

“Yes, mijo,” Victoria says. “She’s my granddaughter. I thought you knew?”

“No,” Luke shakes his head. “I didn’t know that. I thought Dr. Oliver was... seeing Laura Judd.”

Victoria laughs. “No, mijo, my daughter Laura is married. Annie is Dr. Oliver’s patient.”

“What’s wrong with her?” Luke asks, then flushes. “Sorry,” he says. “That’s none of my business.”

“It’s all right, Luke,” Victoria says. “She has cancer in the brain. Dr. Oliver diagnosed her a few weeks ago. She is having radiation now to shrink the tumors before he operates.”

“I’m so sorry,” Luke says. “That’s awful. I have a little sister about her age. I can’t even imagine...”

“Dr. Oliver, he’s arrogant, but it’s because he’s the best,” Victoria says. “Annie will be okay with him, you’ll see.”

“Of course she will!” Luke says optimistically, and Victoria smiles at him.

“I know Dr. Oliver seems like a difficult man,” she says.

Luke snorts. “Tell me about it!”

Victoria smiles. “I know how he seems, but I’ve known him for a while now. His work is difficult, and sometimes he loses his temper with me, but I don’t mind,” she says, then winks at him. “He doesn’t scare me.”

Victoria grins and Luke bites his lip, studying her face for a long moment. His mind is swirling through a dozen different thoughts, but the one it settles on is: _Dr. Oliver’s not trying to get into Laura Judd’s pants after all_.

“Why did Dr. Oliver buy those horses, Victoria?”

“He bought them for my Annie,” she says, and Luke frowns, still not getting it.

“Why?”

Victoria sighs. “Annie’s father, my daughter’s husband, he’s... a difficult man, too.” Victoria hefts herself onto a kitchen stool and gestures for Luke to do the same.

“Dennis, that’s his name, he works a lot,” Victoria says. “He doesn’t spend much time with his family, he never has. When Dr. Oliver diagnosed Annie, he was very angry, upset.”

“That’s understandable,” Luke says, and Victoria nods.

“Yes, of course, mijo. We were all upset, Laura was devastated. But Dr. Oliver was so confident, he’s so sure he can fix her, and Annie, she’s not upset at all!” Victoria smiles. “She loves Dr. Oliver, she thinks he’s magic,” Victoria chuckles. “He’s so good with her. She goes in for her treatment and she gets so tired, and so sick sometimes, but she’s always smiling.”

Luke smiles. “She’s got a good attitude.”

Victoria nods. “Dennis, he doesn’t like Dr. Oliver so much. He thinks he’s too arrogant. I know what Dr. Oliver’s like,” she says. “I know people don’t like how he talks to them. But Dennis, he’s arrogant, too. He wants to be the big man in the family, you know, mijo? He doesn’t like listening to other people much, either. He doesn’t like Dr. Oliver, so he usually stays away from the hospital. It’s not right,” she says, then bites her lip, obviously not wanting to air all her family’s dirty laundry in front of Luke.

“My Annie, she loves horses,” Victoria goes on. “Laura and Dennis were saving to get her riding lessons, but now all their money is getting eaten up with Annie in the hospital. Laura had to stop working to look after Annie. She has radiation three times a week, and she’s too sick to be in school, so Laura stays with her all day.”

“That must be difficult,” Luke says, thinking of the sick children his Foundation works with, and how heartbreaking some of their stories are.

“Dennis, he never goes to the hospital for Annie’s treatments, but last week, for some reason, he decided to go. Laura told me he picked a fight with Dr. Oliver, was questioning everything he did, all his medical decisions, and he threatened to take Annie to a different doctor. Annie got upset about that, she doesn’t want a different doctor, but Dennis didn’t like that either. Annie kept talking about how she couldn’t wait until Dr. Reid fixed her so she could finally go riding, and Dennis started getting mad about money, and jealous about Dr. Oliver, and raising his voice. Poor Annie was getting upset. Laura said Dr. Oliver told Annie, ‘You know what, Miss Judd? I have some horses of my own that you can visit anytime you want. How would you like to come see them tomorrow?’”

And just like that, the pieces click into place. Dr. Oliver didn’t buy the horses just to throw his money around, he bought them to make a sick kid happy. And probably to piss off Mr. Judd, too. Luke can’t help but smile at that.

“It all happened so fast Juan and I didn’t even know they were for Annie until later, after Laura told us,” Victoria said. “Dr. Oliver just called up one day and told me to get your place ready, and then you were here the same day!”

Luke smiles, and Victoria goes on. “Dennis, he didn’t like that at all, but Annie was so excited about getting to see the horses, he couldn’t tell her no. She hasn’t stopped talking about them ever since she saw them.”

Luke smiles. “She’s good with them,” he says. “She’ll be up and riding in no time.” Luke doesn’t let himself think about Annie not getting better, or worse, dying.

“I hope so, mijo,” Victoria smiles and stands up. “Now, I better get back to my chores.”

Luke stands up too and impulsively hugs Victoria close for a moment. “I hope Annie gets better really soon,” he tells her, before heading back to his quarters, his brain swirling with all the new information.

Luke sits at the desk and boots up his laptop, deciding to lose himself for a while in a world where sweet little girls who remind him of Natalie don’t have cancer, and boys named Noah have never met men named Mason.

  


>   
> Lukas was surreptitiously watching Noah at work from his position by the blacksmith’s workshop door. It had been several days since he and Noah had spent time alone together. Noah had been unable to sneak away the few times Lukas had asked him, and Lukas missed him. He watched as Noah raised the sledge hammer and delivered the heavy blows where Winston indicated.
> 
> Noah’s arms were strong, the muscles well developed from his long days in the blacksmith’s shop. Lukas loved to touch him there, to feel his strength, and inhale his manly scent after a day’s exertions. It made Lukas grow hard, but Noah was sometimes uncomfortable with his own body’s reaction to Lukas. Their couplings were over quickly, his object being to seek release swiftly, and then he would steal away back to his cot with the other strikers and farriers.
> 
> Lukas sighed. He longed to make their couplings less urgent, to strip them both of all their clothing, something they had yet to do, and to take his time exploring all of Noah’s masculine body and secret places, to run his hands along the hard muscles, and feel the hair on his arms and legs, and surrounding his lovely cock. Lukas longed for that freedom, to spend hours exploring his man’s body, but he knew it would probably never be. He also wanted to kiss Noah’s cock, to take it inside his mouth and suck until Noah climaxed. He had never done such a thing, only heard about it, in whispered gossip among the men he had grown up around. Just three years earlier one of the molly houses in London had been raided, and six men were strung up and hung while the crowd threw stones and rotten fruit at them, shouting and condemning them to hell for their crimes.
> 
> The stories scared Lukas, but despite the danger, he knew he would never love a woman. It was men he craved, and Noah he wanted. Although they had done little with each other physically, Lukas longed to go further, to do those things which other men were hung for, to take Noah’s cock inside his body and make love with him. Lukas put his own fingers inside himself, sometimes, when he was in private, and imagined it was Noah there. But Noah was not yet ready, he had told Lukas many times, and though he longed for it, Lukas was patient, he would wait until Noah was ready for them to couple in the act which he craved.
> 
> Lukas sighed once more, then returned to his work.
> 
> *
> 
> A few days later, Lukas was still missing Noah terribly. Lukas hadn’t caught a glimpse of him all day. Holden had sent Lukas up to the hayloft in the morning, and he’d been kept occupied with tasks there all day, scarcely pausing to eat a quick meal of bread and cold mutton at midday.
> 
> Now, the men were eating dinner, and Lukas slipped from the dining hall, hoping to find Noah and spend some time alone, just the two of them. He wasn’t in the dining hall, nor in his quarters, and Lukas began to walk toward their secret place by the Oak trees, hoping that Noah would be waiting for him there.
> 
> As Lukas approached, he heard strange sounds. It sounded like the rustle of fabric, but he did not know who could possibly be out there at this hour. Lukas’s forehead creased in a frown, and he walked closer, staying as quiet as possible. If the strange sounds were a fox, or some such creature, Lukas did not wish to startle it.
> 
> The closer Lukas got to their special place, the louder the sounds became, and as Lukas made his final approach, and peered into the dark grove, he saw a sight which shocked him to the core.
> 
> Lit only by a dim lamp, Lukas saw two bodies moving together. There was a woman, her skirts hitched up as she leaned against a tree, a man in front of her, his face buried in her neck as they rutted together. Lukas recognized her as Madeleine, one of the young scullery maids who had been at Oakdale Hall for little more than a month. She was moaning pleasurably as the man pumped into her, and Lukas had to stifle his surprised gasp with a palm against his mouth. He’d never seen anything like this before, and he was frozen in shock. Just as he was about to retreat quietly, the man lifted his head from where it was hidden in Madeleine’s neck, and the sight made Lukas’s blood run cold.
> 
> “Yes,” Madeleine moaned. “Oh, yes, Noah.”
> 
> Lukas gasped out loud, and the pair looked over and saw Lukas watching them.
> 
> “Oh!” Madeleine cried, attempting to push her skirts down and push Noah away. “Oh, it’s just one of the stable lads,” she said. “Get rid of him, Noah.”
> 
> Noah turned slightly, and busied his hands at his trousers, obviously tucking his penis away, and then turned to Lukas.
> 
> Lukas fled. He stumbled blindly along the uneven ground as he ran back towards the stable block, tears stinging at his eyes. He wiped at them furiously, ignoring Noah’s cries as he ran after Lukas.
> 
> Noah was taller than Lukas, however, and soon caught up, his longer legs covering ground faster than Lukas was able.
> 
> “Lukas!” Noah cried again, gripping his shoulder and spinning him around. “Stop, Lukas, let me explain.”
> 
> “Explain what?” Lukas said furiously. “Explain how you could betray me! And with a woman! A lowly scullery maid, at that! A bit o’muslin!”
> 
> “It is not like that!” Noah cried. “We are in love!”
> 
> Lukas froze. “You are in love?” he choked out. “What about us? I thought you loved me? I love _you_ , Noah!”
> 
> Noah’s face was pinched, his eyes narrowed into slits. “It’s not right, Lukas,” he said. “Two men loving each other. I don’t want that life. I want to marry, and have children. I want to do things in the natural order.”
> 
> “You... you want to marry,” Lukas said. “You want to marry Madeleine?”
> 
> Noah closed his eyes briefly, then reopened them, looking at Lukas directly. “Yes,” he said. “Madeleine and I will soon be husband and wife.”
> 
> Lukas could not speak, the words stuck in his throat. “I— I...” Lukas shook his head, and turned to make his escape, angry tears stinging his eyes.
> 
> “I am sorry!” Noah shouted from behind him, but Lukas ignored him, wanting nothing more than to run, to flee, and try to escape from the unbearable pain clawing at his heart.
> 
> *
> 
> Lukas slipped away from the stable block the next morning, wishing to avoid Noah. He did not know what he would do if he saw him, but he feared he would be unable to control his temper, so he fled to the gardens at the opposite end of the estate.
> 
> Lukas had not gotten a wink of sleep all night. He kept replaying the horrifying images of Noah and Madeleine together in his mind, and then his conversation with Noah afterwards. The betrayal felt like a hot poker burning in his gut. Lukas wiped angrily at the tears which fell from his eyes, causing his vision to blur as he stumbled onto a gravel pathway.
> 
> Suddenly, Lukas heard footsteps up ahead, and paused, hastily wiping his eyes dry with his sleeve. Several yards up the path was Jude Lovell, his hands jammed into the pockets of his greatcoat and the ever present frown on his face.
> 
> They stared at one another for a moment. Mr. Lovell seemed ready to reprimand Lukas, to demand to know what he was doing here, in the family’s private gardens, but then he seemed to sense Lukas’s upset, his eyes flickering around Lukas’s wet, red-rimmed eyes, and his face softened.
> 
> Lukas swallowed, and inclined his head slightly. _Beg your forgiveness, Sir._
> 
> Mr. Lovell nodded once, then jutted his chin to the side, signalling for Lukas to leave the garden. Lukas nodded in return, and returned from whence he came, grateful for Mr. Lovell’s small gesture of kindness.

  


Luke’s got lasagna cooking in the oven that night when there’s a knock on the door, and Luke’s more than a little surprised to find Dr. Oliver on the other side, holding a briefcase in one hand.

“Was there something you needed, Dr. Oliver?” Luke asks professionally.

Dr. Oliver tugs at his ear, then clears his throat. “Look,” he says. “About earlier today.”

Luke raises his eyebrows, waiting.

“I wanted to apologize for that scene.”

“You should be apologizing to Victoria,” Luke says.

Dr. Oliver nods. “I will, the next time I see her.”

“Okay, well, good,” Luke says. “She doesn’t deserve that kind of crap.”

Dr. Oliver looks surprised at Luke’s tone, but he’s done playing nice, and _Doctor_ Oliver can just get used to it.

“She doesn’t,” Dr. Oliver agrees. “But she puts up with it anyway. We have an... understanding.”

“Well, she’s more understanding than I would be.”

“So, you're not one to roll over easily. Good to know. This could be interesting, Mr. Walsh.”

Luke narrows his eyes at Dr. Oliver, curious about the innuendo. Dr. Oliver’s eyes narrow too, and dance with mirth, and Luke once again finds himself thinking that he’s a good looking guy when he lightens up. Luke looks away then, and clears his throat.

Dr. Oliver straightens, and says, “I should go.”

Luke nods and is about to say goodbye when the oven timer dings, and right on cue, Dr. Oliver’s stomach growls loudly.

“Do you want to stay for dinner?” Luke surprises himself by asking.

“What’s cooking?” Dr. Oliver asks, not disinterestedly.

“Lasagna,” Luke says. “I made it myself.”

Dr. Oliver growls low in his throat, and pushes inside past Luke. “I’ll stay,” he says. “I’m physically incapable of turning down free food.”

Luke snorts, and closes the door behind him. “Your manners are appalling,” he says.

“Yeah yeah,” Dr. Oliver says impatiently. “Gimme gimme.”

Luke hides his smile and goes over to the oven as Dr. Oliver tosses his briefcase on the couch and pulls up a chair at the table, looking around the room and checking everything out. “So, you’re all settled in?” he asks Luke.

“Sure,” Luke says. “It’s a nice place.”

Dr. Oliver just nods.

“Um, do you want something to drink,” Luke offers, opening the fridge. “I have soda, juice, water…”

“You got a beer?”

“Um, no, sorry,” Luke says. “I don’t drink.”

Dr. Oliver shrugs. “Okay, water’s fine.”

Luke gets him a bottle of water, then goes to check on the lasagna. It’s done, and Luke busies himself dishing up two servings.

Luke slides a plate in front of Dr. Oliver. “Dig in.”

Dr. Oliver picks up his knife and fork and takes a huge bite of lasagna, moaning appreciatively at the taste.

Luke laughs. “It’s good?”

Dr. Oliver nods rapidly, his mouth full. “So good,” he says when he’s swallowed. “You made this?”

Luke nods. “My grandma taught me a few things. She’s a great cook.”

Dr. Oliver shovels in another forkful. “You’re a great cook, too.”

Luke’s cheeks warm a little at the compliment. “Thanks,” he says, and takes a bite for himself. He never seems to do much cooking in Oakdale. He usually just grabs take-out or his mom or grandma cook for him, but he’s had too much free time on his hands here, so he’s been cooking more. Luke’s discovering that he really enjoys it, and judging from the way Dr. Oliver’s eating with such gusto, Luke must be pretty decent at it. It’s kinda fun to have someone enjoy something he’s made. He never really got a chance to cook for Noah. He burned a grilled cheese _once_ , and after that Noah was convinced Luke was useless in the kitchen.

Dr. Oliver’s already cleared half his plate, and Luke’s barely started. He wonders where he puts it all. As far as Luke can tell, he’s in pretty good shape. He always wears these tight jeans that don’t leave much to the imagination, and he has this one black sweater that show off his tight, wiry muscles and...

Luke clears his throat. “So, uh, I know about Annie,” he says. “That she’s Victoria’s granddaughter. She told me Annie’s your patient, and that she has brain cancer.”

“I see the hired help gossip mill’s been running at full steam,” Dr. Oliver says. “I knew the TV shows hadn’t been lying to me all these years.”

Luke narrows his eyes. “The _hired help_ respect your privacy, _Doctor_ Oliver. We weren’t gossiping. I was just trying to comfort Victoria after you yelled at her this morning, and she told me she was upset because Annie wasn’t doing too well. I was confused, I didn’t realize she was related to Annie. I thought you and Laura were… seeing each other.”

Dr. Oliver snorts, then wipes his mouth on a napkin. “I’m not seeing Laura Judd,” he says. “She’s married.”

Luke shrugs. “I know that _now_ ,” he says. “But I’d assumed…”

“I’m gay, Mr. Walsh,” Dr. Oliver says, his blue eyes sharp. “Do you have a problem with that?”

Luke thinks back to his first day here, and the cautious way Juan had answered Luke’s questions about Dr. Oliver. Juan’s hesitancy makes sense now, and it’s obvious that Juan knew Dr. Oliver was gay but didn’t feel it was his place to tell Luke.

“Of course not,” Luke says, taking a quick drink of water. "Why would I care? I'm gay, too.”

Dr. Oliver’s eyes take on a strange glint then, and Luke changes the subject, slightly unnerved. “So, Annie likes horses, huh?” _Lame, Luke_.

Dr. Oliver rolls his eyes. “What gave it away, Mr. Walsh?”

Luke chuckles, ignoring the insult. He’s starting to think Dr. Oliver’s jerk act is mostly just that — an act.

Luke eats some more lasagna, and tries to tamp down the strange, nervous feeling in his stomach at the news that Dr. Oliver is gay. He thinks back to his dream the other night, and wonders if on some unconscious level he’d already known, and he shifts in his chair.

The silence is becoming uncomfortable when Dr. Oliver speaks.

“So,” he begins, in a painfully awkward attempt at small talk. “Have you been in this line of work long?”

“Not too long,” Luke says. “I grew up around horses though. I know what I’m doing.”

“That’s not what I— I wasn’t trying to imply—”

“It’s fine,” Luke says, cutting him off.

They eat in silence for a few moments, then Dr. Oliver tries again. “So where are you from? You don’t sound like a native.”

“Around,” Luke says, cautiously, not wanting to give anything away that could blow his cover. “I, uh, moved a lot. What about you?”

“The South when I was a kid, then we went up North. I’ve moved around a lot too, but I’ve been in Dallas a couple years now.”

“If you don’t mind me asking, the house seems kinda big for one person…”

Dr. Oliver shrugs. “The hospital found it for me when I moved here,” he says. “I suppose I could have looked for something else once I got settled but it doesn’t take me long to get to the hospital, which was my main criteria, and I didn’t have the time or inclination to look for something else. Besides, Juan and Victoria do all the work.”

“It’s nice,” Luke says. “I mean, from the outside. I haven’t seen inside except for the uh, kitchen,” Luke says, laughing nervously.

“You want a tour?” Dr. Oliver asks.

“Of your house?” Luke asks, surprised. “Sure. I mean, yes. But I don’t want to impose or anything,” Luke says, thinking back to their first conversation when Dr. Oliver had told him in no uncertain terms that they weren’t going to be friends.

“There’s not much to see, really, but if you’re curious.” Dr. Oliver shrugs. “I have some ice cream in the freezer. How about I spring for dessert since you shared your dinner with me.”

“Well, who knew?” Luke murmurs.

“Who knew what?” Dr. Oliver says.

“Nothing,” Luke says, shaking his head.

Dr. Oliver narrows his eyes. “No. Tell me.”

“Fine,” Luke says. “It’s just, who knew you could be nice? You've been so busy being a jerk to me, and to Victoria, and probably Juan too, that I'm not sure what to make of you right now.”

“Victoria likes it when I yell at her.”

“Oh yeah, I bet,” Luke scoffs.

Dr. Oliver stares at him for a long moment, and Luke shifts uncomfortably in his chair under the scrutiny. He wonders if he’s about to get fired, but Dr. Oliver just blinks, and clears his throat. “You want that tour now?”

“Yes,” Luke says, surprised at how much he does want that, and follows Dr. Oliver over to the main house, pausing while he fishes keys out of his pocket and unlocks the back door.

Dr. Oliver flicks on some lights and leads Luke into a cozy living room. There’s a comfortable looking couch and a coffee table, and a huge flatscreen TV, as well as a desk piled high with journals and papers, and a laptop and printer. Everything’s immaculately clean, and the polished timber floors are shining.

The kitchen is huge, and a mix of old and new. Luke takes it all in carefully this time. There are tons of country-style cupboards and a timber butcher’s block, plus a huge gleaming stainless steel double fridge and freezer, and a gorgeous marble bench top. It would be way easier to cook in here than in the tiny kitchenette in his quarters, Luke notes. It has a nice feel. Luke likes it a lot.

Dr. Oliver shows him a larger living room, but it’s mostly empty, there are a few bookshelves with a lot of heavy books on the shelves but not much else. There’s a bathroom, and a separate laundry, and down a long hallway are a bunch of rooms Dr. Oliver points at but doesn’t open.

“There’s five bedrooms and a study,” he says. “But there’s no furniture, except in my room, so there’s not much to see.”

Luke smiles. “It’s a great house,” he says. It really is, Luke’s actually kind of jealous. “Too bad you don’t use it all.”

Dr. Oliver shrugs, and Luke asks, “Doesn’t your family ever come to visit?”

Dr. Oliver snorts. “No, Mr. Walsh,” he says. “They do not.”

Luke winces, hating the lie. “Just call me Luke, please,” he says.

Dr. Oliver looks at him for a long moment. “You ready for that ice cream now?”

Luke nods and follows him back to the kitchen, pulling up a stool as Dr. Oliver dishes up two bowls of chocolate ice cream. The house is charming, and Luke’s already half in love with it. He’d always hoped he and Noah would buy something similar together one day, but that seems like an impossibility at the moment, so Luke puts the thought out of his mind.

“So, where do you work?” Luke asks. “I don’t really know Dallas too well. I just came for the job.”

“I was at Baylor,” Dr. Oliver says. “Still am, I suppose, though I run my own clinic from there now.”

“Wow,” Luke says. “That must be challenging.”

“I’m the best,” Dr. Oliver says arrogantly. “People wait up to a year to see me, and I only deal with the cases that interest me.”

“So, all the little people, they don't matter so much?”

Dr. Oliver smiles ghoulishly. “If they have something interesting wrong in their heads, they do. Then they can be the star of my universe for a few beautiful hours under the bright lights of the OR.”

“You must get punched a lot,” Luke says.

Dr. Oliver barks out a laugh at the non sequitur. “I do, actually,” he says. “How did you know?”

“Because I kinda want to punch you myself right now.”

Dr. Oliver smirks. “Being me seems to do that,” he says. “But I don’t play rough on the first date.”

“What?” Luke splutters, flushing as Dr. Oliver laughs at him.

“Um, so what is there to do in Dallas?” Luke changes the subject as Dr. Oliver slides a bowl and spoon over. “For fun.”

Dr. Oliver shrugs and eats a gigantic spoonful of ice cream.

Luke frowns. “You’ve lived here for two years?”

Dr. Oliver just shrugs again.

“Well, do you have a favorite restaurant?”

“Nah,” he says. “I do takeout, and Victoria keeps me in frozen dinners.”

“Favorite bar?” Luke tries. “Club? Lounge?”

Dr. Oliver stares at him blankly.

“Ice-skating rink? Bowling alley?”

“I went bowling once,” he says. “I was nine years old.”

Luke snorts out a laugh.

“Look, I work hard,” Dr. Oliver says. “And I’m the best at what I do. I don’t have time for a pointless personal life.”

“A pointless personal life?” Luke repeats. “What, you mean doing things like having fun and hanging out with friends?”

Dr. Oliver smirks. “Overrated.”

Luke shakes his sadly. “Pathetic,” he says, and Dr. Oliver grins widely, shoving another huge spoonful of ice cream in his mouth.

Luke rolls his eyes and concentrates on finishing up the last of his ice cream, licking the spoon clean.

Dr. Oliver stares at Luke’s mouth when he does it, and his own tongue darts out to moisten his lips. It’s disconcerting.

“Um, I should probably get back,” Luke says, dropping his spoon back into the bowl with a loud clatter. “Thank you for the ice cream.”

“Thank _you_ for the lasagna,” Dr. Oliver says. “It really was good.”

Luke flushes with pleasure. “Thank you! You don’t cook?”

Dr. Oliver chuckles. “I reheat what Victoria puts in the freezer,” he says. “I’m pretty good with a microwave.”

“Pa-thetic,” Luke teases again with a smile. “You should come over for dinner again tomorrow,” Luke says, without really thinking about it. Dr. Oliver looks startled, and Luke immediately backtracks. “You don’t have to,” he says. “I mean, I wasn’t—”

“Another one of your grandma’s recipes?”

“Sure,” Luke says.

“Well I can’t say no to that,” Dr. Oliver says. “Like I said, I’m physically incapable of turning down a good meal.”

Luke grins, pleased with the compliment.

Dr. Oliver’s eyes flash with heat, then, and he very deliberately drops his eyes down to Luke’s mouth, then back up again. Luke is _not_ imagining that, right?

“Okay,” Luke says, suddenly feeling a little sweaty. He trips over the legs of the stool as he gets up, and flushes. “Around seven again is fine.”

Dr. Oliver nods and gestures toward the back door, and Luke smiles a weak goodbye, heading down the hallway to the back door. When he gets back to his quarters, he closes the door behind himself and sags against it, closing his eyes and picturing that _look_ on Dr. Oliver’s face. Luke feels a surge of heat in his gut, and his dick twitches inside his jeans. Luke takes a deep breath, and thinks of Noah.


	3. Chapter 3

There’s a knock on the door early the next morning. Luke’s alarm hasn’t even gone off yet, and it’s still dark outside. Luke’s half asleep as he flicks on the lights and stumbles to the door, wrenching it open and rubbing the sleep from his eyes with one hand.

Dr. Oliver’s standing on the other side, and it’s not until he looks down at Luke’s chest, and then his gaze pointedly slides even lower that Luke realizes he’s wearing just his boxer shorts.

Dr. Oliver’s still staring at Luke’s body, and Luke’s half-asleep brain must be running on a time delay, because it’s at least a full ten seconds before Luke thinks to say, “Hello, can I help you?”

Dr. Oliver’s eyebrows shoot up and he pauses for a moment, then shakes his head. “Sorry. It's early, I know, but I left my briefcase here last night and I need it for surgery this morning.”

“You... need your briefcase for _surgery_?” Luke’s a little sleep addled, but that doesn’t seem quite right.

“The files in it. Not the briefcase itself,” Dr. Oliver says. “Look, if you'll just let me get it, I'll be gone and you can get back to your beauty rest.”

Luke blinks sleepily.

“Mr. Walsh,” he snaps. “If you’d just step aside…”

“Oh, right! Sorry,” Luke says, moving out of the doorway.

Dr. Oliver grabs his briefcase off the couch and then steps back outside.

“Good luck with your surgery,” Luke says.

Dr. Oliver blatantly stares at Luke’s naked torso, and he self-consciously folds his arms across his chest. Dr. Oliver’s eyes slide around to a spot on Luke’s side, instead, and he knows he’s spotted Luke’s transplant scar. Luke drops his arms back to his sides and covers it up.

“Don’t need luck,” he says arrogantly. “But thanks anyway. Luke.” Dr. Oliver flashes a lightning fast smile Luke’s way. “Go back to sleep.”

Luke lifts a hand to wave goodbye before he can even think about it, then watches Dr. Oliver walk around the side of the house to his car. He’s wearing tight black jeans and a clingy, light green sweater, and Luke lets himself acknowledge for just a moment, in his hazy state, that he’s maybe kind of attracted to Dr. Oliver.

*

Luke’s alarm goes off an hour later, and he jolts awake, momentarily confused. Was he dreaming, or had Dr. Oliver been here this morning? He sits up and looks over at the couch, and the briefcase is gone. Oh, yeah. Dr. Oliver had been here, and he’d stared at Luke’s body shamelessly. And he’d called him _Luke_. And he’d been... different last night, too. More human. A smile forms unbidden on his face, then he realizes what he’s doing and forces a frown instead.

Just because Dr. Oliver’s gay, and kind of really, really hot, it doesn’t excuse the fact he’s also kind of a jerk.

His day is pretty uneventful. He looks after the horses, as usual, throws together a sandwich for lunch, as usual, and adds a few items to his shopping list. He needs to do some laundry, too, and Victoria tells him to go ahead and use the washing machine inside the house.

“Are you sure Dr. Oliver won’t mind?” Luke asks.

“Meh,” Victoria shrugs. “I don’t think he even knows where the laundry is,” she says. “I do his washing for him. Biodegradable soap only, he’s kind of loco about it, mijo.”

Luke snorts a laugh. “Is that like the can thing in the pantry?”

Victoria chuckles. “I told you he likes things done a certain way.”

Luke rolls his eyes. “I talked to him last night,” Luke says, sorting his colors and whites. “He said he was going to apologize for how he spoke to you.”

“He will,” Victoria says. “He always does.”

Luke hesitates. “He was... different. Nicer than usual.”

Victoria smiles.

“He told me he’s gay,” Luke blurts out. “But you probably already knew that.”

“I did.”

“I’m gay, too,” Luke says. “In case you were wondering.”

“I wasn’t, mijo” she says, then smiles and pats his cheek, leaving him to his piles of dirty laundry.

Luke decides to make chili and cornbread for his dinner with Dr. Oliver. He’s used to it eating it at least once a week at Al’s, and he misses it. He adds a dash of cinnamon, which he knows Henry uses at the diner, but isn’t part of his grandma’s recipe.

“Sorry, grandma,” Luke says, as he sprinkles it in the pot. His grandmother is kind of a purist when it comes to her recipes, but Luke’s more of a freestyler. He sticks faithfully to her corn bread recipe, though, and it turns out beautifully.

The chili’s done by around quarter to seven, and Luke turns the burner under the pot down low to keep it warm. He flicks on the TV and channel surfs for a bit, but there’s nothing worth watching so he flicks it back off. By five past seven Dr. Oliver’s still not home, but Luke knows the hospital’s only twenty minutes away, so he should be there soon.

By quarter past, he’s still a no-show, and Luke’s starting to get pissed, wondering if he’s playing some sort of mind game with Luke.

His cell phone rings at twenty past, and Luke jumps in his seat, scared half to death. No one calls his cell phone. The only people with the number are his dad, and Dr. Oliver’s assistant, a woman Luke’s spoken to about the horses a couple times.

“Hello?” Luke answers the phone.

“Luke? Hi, this is Nancy Jones, Dr. Oliver’s assistant.”

“Hi, Nancy, what can I do for you?”

“That depends. Can you get me out of working late?” Nancy jokes.

Luke laughs. “Sorry, no can do. Is Dr. Oliver cracking the whip?” A sudden image of a smirking Dr. Oliver holding a whip enters Luke’s mind, and his cheeks heat up. _Christ. What the hell is wrong with him lately?_

Nancy laughs. “He sure is,” she says. “That’s why I’m calling. He wanted me to let you know he’s stuck in surgery and he won’t be able to make dinner.”

“Oh,” Luke says, kind of embarrassed for some reason that Dr. Oliver had told Nancy they were having dinner together.

“Yup, an emergency came into the hospital this afternoon. He’s been in there for hours, but he sent one of the nurses out to tell me to be sure I call.”

“He did?” Luke says. “That was... considerate. Wait, I thought he ran a clinic, not worked in the ER.”

“He does,” Nancy says, “But this was a pretty bad case, so they called him in.”

“He really is that good, then?” Luke says.

Nancy laughs. “I know, I know. His ego’s enormous,” she says. “But he really is the best, and when you’ve got one of the world’s top neurosurgeon’s working nearby, you call him in when there’s an emergency.”

“Okay, well, thanks for letting me know, Nancy.”

“No problem,” she says. “Nite, honey.”

Luke hangs up the phone and fixes himself a plate. He eats slowly, preoccupied with the unexpected turn his night’s taken. He’s strangely disappointed that he didn’t get to see Dr. Oliver tonight, but he’s also strangely proud that the reason Dr. Oliver missed dinner was because he’s performing (hopefully) life-saving surgery. Why he’s proud, he’s not quite sure. Dr. Oliver’s his employer, not his friend, and not his... Luke shakes his head and starts filling the sink with water to do the dishes. Luke has no reason to feel proud of Dr. Oliver’s skill.

When he realizes he’s humming about ten minutes later, he just shrugs and keeps scrubbing.

> All the servants were busy preparing for the ball to be held at Oakdale Hall. The kitchen was a hive of activity, scullery maids to-ing and fro-ing about, and the stable block servants preparing for the influx of carriages guests to the ball would be arriving in. Lukas welcomed the distraction, being too busy with preparations to dwell on Noah’s betrayal.
> 
> At night, however, when the other men had fallen into exhausted slumber, Lukas laid awake, his body tired but his mind unable to stop turning. Noah and Madeleine were to be married soon after the ball, and then Noah would move closer to the main house to live with his wife in the servants quarters. Madeleine would take Noah’s name and they would become husband and wife.
> 
> The thought of them living together, and sharing a bed, something Lukas was unable to do with Noah, tore him up with grief. Lukas did not know how he would endure it.
> 
> The night of the ball finally arrived, and the most important families in Derbyshire were in attendance at Oakdale Hall.
> 
> Lukas had pilfered a bottle of wine from the house. He’d never stolen so much as a cube of sugar in his life before, but tonight, the temptation had been too much to resist. Lukas wanted nothing more than to drown his sorrows, and forget the horrible image of Noah and Madeleine together, which was seared into his brain.
> 
> The stable block was deserted and Lukas was confident he was at no risk of being discovered there. Everyone would be too busy with the festivities to notice him missing.
> 
> Lukas took a swig of wine, cringing at the taste, but swallowing down as much as he could. He wanted to forget, to erase the image of Noah and Madeleine rutting together, and especially the sounds of Noah grunting and moaning. Lukas thought he was the only one who’d been privy to such sight and sounds. How wrong he’d been. How stupid.
> 
> Lukas squeezed his eyes closed and swallowed more wine. His head was starting to feel pleasantly fuzzy, the memory of Noah and Madeleine together growing hazy.
> 
> “That’s better!” Lukas told one of the nearest horses. “I shall forget that no good bastard!”
> 
> The horse merely snorted. “Oh ho!” Lukas cried drunkenly. “Even you are ignoring me! You and Noah must be the best of friends!”
> 
> Lukas held the bottle to his lips, ready to take another swig, when he heard a commanding voice from behind.
> 
> “Who’s there?” they demanded, and Lukas turned around slowly and found himself in Jude Lovell’s presence.
> 
> “Smith, Sir,” Lukas said, attempting to hide the bottle of wine behind his back, but his movements were clunky, his reflexes dulled from the wine he’d consumed.
> 
> “What do you have behind your back, boy?”
> 
> Lukas swallowed hard, and fear began taking over the drunken part of his mind, sobering him up immediately. If Mr. Lovell chose to do so, Lukas would be let go in disgrace for thievery. He and his mother would be out on the streets, and Lukas without favorable references would have little luck securing work in private service.
> 
> “Well,” Mr. Lovell demanded impatiently. “Show me what you are hiding.”
> 
> Reluctantly, Lukas held up the half drunk bottle of wine.
> 
> Mr. Lovell lifted one eyebrow, and Lukas swallowed hard.
> 
> “You stole that from my party,” he said. “And you’re in here drinking when I assume you should be working with the other servants.”
> 
> Lukas kept his eyes downcast. “I’m sorry, Sir. I will reimburse you, of course, but please, Sir, I beg of you, please don’t sack me.”
> 
> Mr. Lovell studied him for a long moment, and Lukas anxiously bit his lip. Mr. Lovell could hardly be described as kind, from what Lukas had witnessed of his behaviour since his return to Oakdale Hall, yet Lukas prayed the man would show some hidden kindness tonight, some sort of compassion, though he had no reason to given the circumstances.
> 
> “Oh, all right,” Mr. Lovell finally said. “I won’t tell anyone, as long as you share.”
> 
> Lukas’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “You— you wish to share the bottle, Sir?”
> 
> “Hand it over,” Mr. Lovell said, and Lukas was surprised to see him drink from the bottle Lukas’s lips had been on.
> 
> “You really won’t sack me, Sir?”
> 
> “I could hardly explain why I caught you here when I’m not supposed to be here myself, can I, boy?”
> 
> Lukas frowned. “True enough, Sir. Are you not enjoying the ball?”
> 
> Mr. Lovell snorted and took another swig of wine. “I’m supposed to be finding a wife,” he said. “Yet I have no desire to do so.”
> 
> Lukas was silent. It was not his place to comment on such matters, and yet... “Are there no pretty young ladies at the ball who have caught your eye, Sir?”
> 
> Mr. Lovell snorted again and took another swig before handing the bottle back to Lukas.
> 
> “I do not wish to marry any pretty young lady,” he said.
> 
> Lukas took another swallow of wine for himself and looked at Mr. Lovell thoughtfully. It was his duty to find a wife, and eventually to create male heirs to which Oakdale Hall could be passed down. That was the whole purpose of the ball, yet Lukas was grateful he was held to no such societal obligations himself. The thought of entering a loveless marriage held no appeal to Lukas, and loveless it would be, for Lukas knew, as sure as he knew that his eyes were brown and his hair was blond, that he could never feel the love and the passion for a woman that he felt for Noah.
> 
> “I do not wish to marry any young lady either, Sir.”
> 
> Mr. Lovell studied him critically, and Lukas shifted uncomfortably. Had he revealed too much? There was danger in voicing such an opinion, if it was interpreted the wrong way. Though of course Lukas meant it in entirely the way in which he said it. But what if Mr. Lovell grew curious, what if he investigated further, and discovered Lukas’s proclivities? Lukas’s heart began to race in his chest.
> 
> Finally, Mr. Lovell held out his hand and simply said, “I shall take more wine now, Smith.”
> 
> Lukas sighed in relief and passed the bottle back to Mr. Lovell, and as he did so, their fingers brushed together. Lukas felt a tingle where Mr. Lovell’s fingers covered his own, and their eyes met and held for a moment that seemed to stretch for a long time. There was something in Mr. Lovell’s eyes, some sort of understanding. Lukas’s heart raced once again. There was no way... Mr. Lovell couldn’t also be...?
> 
> Mr. Lovell swigged from the bottle, then sat down on a bale of straw. Lukas stood uncertain for a moment until Mr Lovell finally gestured for Lukas to sit beside him. He did so, and they drank in silence for a while, the only sounds coming from the horses, who made the occasional whinny, or stamped their hooves to the ground.
> 
> Lukas cleared his throat. He could not stand the silence any longer. “Are you pleased to be back at Oakdale Hall, Sir?”
> 
> Mr. Lovell sighed. “I suppose so,” he said, though he sounded unconvinced.
> 
> “Did you enjoy your time at Oxford?”
> 
> “I did indeed,” Mr. Lovell conceded. “I wish I had been able to stay longer, there is still much l wish to learn.”
> 
> Lukas smiled wistfully. “I think I should have liked to go to college,” Lukas said. “Though I know it aint possible.”
> 
> “Oh,” Mr. Lovell said, and his face looked surprisingly kind then. “I suppose you must think me dreadfully spoiled, complaining about leaving college when you have not the means to experience it yourself.”
> 
> “Not at all, Sir,” Lukas said, remembering his place, yet also finding himself softening toward Mr. Lovell. He was showing none of the pride and arrogance Lukas had seen in the past.
> 
> “What should you like to have studied then?” Mr. Lovell asked.
> 
> “I don’t know,” Lukas said, embarrassed. “I enjoy words, Sir. Making up stories and such. Perhaps literature.”
> 
> “You enjoy reading?”
> 
> “Oh, yes, Sir!” Lukas’s eyes lit up. “I have read a little of the new poets, and I enjoy them very much, though there is little opportunity to read around here, work keeps me busy.”
> 
> “There are several volumes of poetry inside the house,” Mr. Lovell said. “The new ones you fancy, Shelley and Byron in particular. Perhaps you would like to read them?”
> 
> “Really?” Lukas asked, his eyes wide. “I’d be much obliged. Thank you, Sir!”
> 
> Mr. Lovell smiled, and Lukas could not help but smile back. He was enjoying his conversation with the younger Mr. Lovell far more than he ever could have imagined.
> 
> “What else should you wish to have learned at Oxford, Sir? If you had stayed longer.”
> 
> The smile fell of Mr. Lovell’s face then, and was replaced with a wistful look. “It does not matter,” he said. “I have received the education my father wished for me to have.”
> 
> Lukas shifted on the bale, and his knee brushed against Mr. Lovell’s leg as he turned sideways. “But there is something else which interests you?”
> 
> Mr. Lovell shifted, too, and his own leg pressed against Lukas’s. Neither of them moved away.
> 
> “I am interested in medicine,” Mr. Lovell confided.
> 
> “You wish to be a doctor?” Lukas asked, surprised. It was a worthy occupation, yet one below the Lovells’ station. Lukas understood why Mr. Lovell’s father would not allow his son to enter such a profession.
> 
> “Not especially,” Mr. Lovell said, but his eyes lit up with excitement. “It is surgery which is of great interest to me,” he said.
> 
> Lukas’s eyes widened in surprise. “Surgery?” He knew little of such things, besides the stories he’s heard about amputations, particularly on soldiers wounded in the war. The stories the men in the stable block told were enough to curdle Luke’s blood.
> 
> Mr. Lovell smiled and nodded enthusiastically. “Yes, my particular area of interest is brain surgery, trepanation, and the like,” he said. “The brain is fascinating and yet there is so much we do not know about it, so much still to study and to learn. There must also be ways of improving surgical techniques on the skull, as well as other areas. The possibilities are endless!”
> 
> Lukas smiled at Mr. Lovell’s enthusiasm. “You seem so passionate about it, Sir!”
> 
> Mr. Lovell’s face dropped again, then. “Yes, Smith. But it is of no consequence. My father refuses to let me waste my time on such matters. He wishes for me to marry quickly, and for the new Mrs. Lovell and I to take our place in society.”
> 
> Lukas sighed heavily. “I wish you could follow your passion instead, Sir,” he said.
> 
> Mr. Lovell leaned a little closer, and studied Lukas’s face intently. Lukas could feel his warm, wine-scented breath against his lips, and he drew in a shaky breath.
> 
> “I wish you could do that too, Smith,” he said.
> 
> Lukas swallowed. “You are very kind, Sir,” he whispered.
> 
> “I shall bring you a volume from Lord Byron tomorrow,” he whispered in return.
> 
> “Thank you,” Lukas said. “I should like that very much.”
> 
> They were but a couple of inches apart by this stage, and Lukas held Mr. Lovell’s gaze. His eyes were blue, like Noah’s, but they seemed so different right now, open and clear while Noah’s had always seemed shuttered, like he did not wish to allow Lukas to see inside. The light from the oil lamp was dim, and the shadows played on Mr. Lovell’s face, clinging to the curve of his cheekbones, and the strong line of his jawline. Mr. Lovell was a handsome young man, it was plain to see, and Lukas felt as though he understood him better now. He was not surly because he was unkind, he was simply unhappy and stifled by society’s conventions. Lukas could certainly relate to that.
> 
> Mr. Lovell moved forward another inch, until their noses were almost touching, and Lukas released a shaky breath. Mr. Lovell’s eyes darted down to look at Lukas’s lips, before meeting Lukas’s gaze once again.
> 
> A whimper burst forth from Lukas’s throat, and Mr. Lovell’s eyes went soft. His palm came up and pressed against Lukas’s cheek, and Lukas whimpered once more, falling forward and bridging the gap between them.
> 
> Mr. Lovell’s lips were soft, and Luke brought his own palm up and laid it to rest against Mr. Lovell’s cheek as their mouths pressed together. Luke exhaled a shaky breath against Mr. Lovell’s lips, and he used the occasion to lick against Lukas’s lips, seeking entrance to his mouth. His tongue tasted of wine, and Luke moaned, suckling it with his own tongue as the kiss went on and on.
> 
> Mr. Lovell finally pulled back, a small smile playing on his lips. Lukas’s own face broke out into a grin. “Mr. Lovell, that was quite unexpected.”
> 
> Mr. Lovell laughed. “But not unwanted, I hope.”
> 
> Lukas shook his head. “No indeed,” he said, unable to erase the smile from his lips.
> 
> “I must return to the ball,” Mr. Lovell said, and stood up reluctantly. “I have been missing for quite a while. I’m sure my father is most agitated by now.”
> 
> Lukas nodded. “I should return to work myself,” he said. “I came here to... get away from someone, but I don’t think I’m nearly as upset about him as I was one hour ago.”
> 
> “Was the person you were trying to avoid, was it, did he, was he...” Mr. Lovell trailed off, unable to find the words, but Lukas knew instinctively what he was trying to ask.
> 
> Lukas nodded. “But he is of no consequence,” Lukas said. “Not any more.” Lukas toed at the ground with his boot, unable to stop the flush rearing up his neck. It was true, Lukas no longer felt the mix of anger and sadness which had overwhelmed him earlier. He was now instead overwhelmed with the sweetness of Mr. Lovell’s kiss, and the kindness he had demonstrated tonight.
> 
> “Very good,” Mr. Lovell said. “I am glad to hear it.”
> 
> Lukas smiled shyly and Mr. Lovell took a step closer. “You are far too beautiful to wear a frown,” he said, thumbing at Lukas’s chin. “You should smile, always.”
> 
> Lukas exhaled in a rush, and looked at Mr. Lovell through his eyelashes. Noah had never once said such a thing to Luke. He did not believe beautiful was a word which men should use to describe one another, and had scoffed the one and only time Lukas had tried to pay him a similar compliment. Mr. Lovell, however, seemed to have no such reluctance.
> 
> “Farewell, Lukas,” he whispered. “Until tomorrow.”
> 
> “Tomorrow,” Lukas replied, and watched as Mr. Lovell left the stable.

Luke leans back in his chair, his eyes on the laptop screen and the words he’s written, almost subconsciously. He exhales a little shakily himself, and presses two fingers against his lips. It’s almost like he can feel the kiss himself, but what disturbs him the most about the sensation is how much he actually _wishes_ it was true.

*

Dr. Oliver gets home around six the next night. Luke was planning on having leftovers for dinner, and after a moment’s debate, he wraps up enough for two and heads over to knock on the back door of the house.

“Hey,” Dr. Oliver says, sounding surprised when he opens the door. “What are you doing here?”

Luke takes a deep breath. He feels nervous, almost like he’s on a date or something, which is weird. He’s not on a date. He doesn’t even _like_ Dr. Oliver. And besides, he’s Luke’s boss. Kind of. And he probably doesn’t even like Luke either. He just likes Luke’s cooking.

“I thought I’d bring you some leftovers from last night, since you missed out on dinner,” Luke says. “If you’re interested.”

“Oh, I’m interested,” he says, his eyes sweeping up and down Luke’s body before settling on the dishes in his hands. “Very interested.”

Luke smiles tightly as he steps through the door Dr. Oliver’s holding open for him. There’s no mistaking his innuendo this time, and Luke swallows hard as he follows him to the kitchen.

“Thanks for having Nancy call me last night,” Luke says. “That was surprisingly thoughtful of you.”

Dr. Oliver snorts. “I’m a thoughtful guy,” he says, and Luke rolls his eyes.

Dr. Oliver smiles, and Luke’s surprised at his body’s reaction to that. His dick twitches in his jeans a little. Why does Dr. Oliver have to look so good when he smiles? It’s entirely unfair.

“So, what’s on the menu?”

“Chili and cornbread,” Luke says, placing the dishes onto the kitchen counter. “Oh God,” he says. “I made chili. In Texas. What was I thinking?”

Dr. Oliver’s busy pulling foil off the dishes and peering inside. “Are you kidding? This is great,” he says. “They don’t use beans in the chili here. I’ve missed eating real chili like this.”

“Really?” Luke says. “Okay good. Well, I’ll just heat it up then.”

Dr. Oliver points at the microwave and Luke makes himself at home, reheating the chili and putting the cornbread in the oven.

“You made the cornbread too? You didn’t buy it?”

Luke chuckles. “You seem incapable of believing that people can actually cook meals from scratch, Dr. Oliver.”

Dr. Oliver shrugs. “I haven’t met too many people who do. Victoria. But that’s her job.”

“Your mom never cooked?” Luke asks.

“Nope.”

“Your dad?”

“Nuh-uh.”

“Never?” Luke asks. “Not even once?”

“They were dead, Mr. Walsh. Hard to whip up a meal from beyond the grave.”

“Oh God, I'm so—”

“Oh, please, don't give me the ‘I’m sorry’ bullcrap. You don't care. It was a long time ago, anyway. Let’s move on.”

“No. I... I do care,” Luke says.

Dr. Oliver just shrugs and looks away. “How long until the food’s ready?”

“It’s done now. You hungry?”

“Always.”

Luke chuckles and takes the cornbread out of the oven. “Spoons?”

Dr. Oliver opens a drawer and grabs cutlery, then heads to the fridge. “Water okay?”

Luke nods, and Dr. Oliver grabs a bottle of water and a beer for himself, and they both sit down at the kitchen table.

“So, did the patient pull through last night?”

“Of course,” Dr. Oliver says. “I was operating on him.”

Luke rolls his eyes. “So modest.”

“I’m too good for modesty,” Dr. Oliver says, swallowing his first mouthful of food. He makes a low, moaning sound in his throat and then licks his lips. Luke’s traitorous dick twitches in his jeans again, and he shifts uncomfortably in his chair, taking a calming swallow of water.

“This is amazing,” Dr. Oliver says.

“I wouldn’t go that far,” Luke says, but he’s pleased with the compliment.

“ _You’re_ too good for modesty,” Dr. Oliver says, and Luke flushes, picking up his own spoon and digging in.

Luke takes a bite and can’t help but moan a little obscenely himself. It tastes even better the second day.

“Told ya,” Dr. Oliver says, slurping up another spoonful.

Luke nods. “I love chili.”

“Me too,” Dr. Oliver says. “There was this place near where I went to college. I used to eat there all the time, they had amazing chili.”

“Where’d you go to college?”

“Harvard.”

“Of course you did,” Luke says.

“What about you?”

“Uh, I didn’t go to college,” Luke says, settling on an approximation of the truth.

“Oh,” Dr. Oliver says, and Luke stares at his bowl of chili, willing away the blush he can feel working its way up the back of his neck.

Luke’s still ashamed of his behavior over the student election, and his subsequent expulsion. Most of the time he tries not to think about. He made amends by working with his Foundation, and while the good he did there might not have completely made up for his mistake, it went a long way. And now, he’s happy working with his Foundation, and he’s assembled a good team around him who make up for any shortfalls in his own knowledge. Like he told his parents and his grandmother back then, college isn’t the only place to get an education.

Noah’s part in getting Luke kicked out of college still burns though. Which is why Luke tries not to think about it. But now, sitting in front of Dr. Oliver, who surely has to be one of the most highly-educated people Luke’s ever met, he can’t help but feel a little bit like that stupid kid again.

Dr. Oliver’s shifting uncomfortably in his own chair now, and Luke blows out a breath. They eat in silence for a few minutes, until Dr. Oliver’s bowl is empty and he’s swiping a piece of cornbread through the bowl, soaking up all the juices.

Luke chuckles. “You really liked it, huh?”

Dr. Oliver nods, his mouth full of bread.

“It’s pretty easy to make, you know,” Luke says. “Chili, I mean. I could teach you.”

Dr. Oliver makes a choking sound, and his jaw works hard trying to swallow.

“Um, only if you want to.” Luke says.

“No, no, I do. How about this weekend,” Dr. Oliver says when he’s finally swallowed. “I’m going in to work on Saturday morning, but I’ll be done by lunch. Maybe we can do it in the afternoon.”

A sudden image of _doing it_ with Dr. Oliver flits through Luke’s mind for a second before disappearing. Luke clears his throat. “Sure,” he says. “I’ll order the ingredients.”

A strange look passes over Dr. Oliver’s face then. “Just tell me what you need and I’ll get Victoria to pick it up,” he says. “You shouldn’t have to pay for the ingredients when I’m getting a free cooking lesson.”

Luke starts to say that it’s no problem, that he can afford it, but then he remembers he’s supposed to be on a stable hand’s budget, and he flushes, looking down. “Um sure,” Luke mumbles. “That’d be great.”

“Hey,” Dr. Oliver says gently, and Luke looks back up, his face pink from the lie. “Don’t be embarrassed,” he says.

Luke takes a deep breath. Most of the time, Luke forgets that he’s lying just by being here. That he’s not Luke Walsh — stable hand. Luke lied about so many things when he was a kid. He lied to his parents about his feelings, he lied about being gay, he lied about hanging out with Kevin and getting drunk. Luke hates who he was when he was sixteen, and he’s tried to live a better life since then, but now he’s lying to Dr. Oliver, and Juan and Victoria, who Luke likes and respects. And sure, Dr. Oliver can act like a jerk, but Luke’s starting to believe a lot of it’s just an act, and besides, Luke’s living in the guy’s house. He deserves honesty. Luke bites his lip, remembering that the lies are to keep him and his family safe.

Luke shakes off the discomfort, and lets Dr. Oliver deliberately misunderstand the cause of Luke’s embarrassment. “I’ll make a shopping list,” he says. “Have you got a pen and paper?”

“Follow me,” Dr. Oliver says, and leads Luke into the living room. He grabs a notepad and a pen off the desk, and hands them to Luke, their fingers brushing together in the process.

“Uh, take a seat,” Dr. Oliver says, pointing at the sofa.

Luke sits, and starts jotting down the ingredients they’ll need while Dr. Oliver disappears back into the kitchen. Luke hears the sound of dishes being cleared, and a moment later, Dr. Oliver reappears holding a fresh beer and a new bottle of water for Luke. He drops down next to Luke on the sofa, and Luke becomes hyper aware of Dr. Oliver’s body settling so close, the sofa cushions dipping under his weight.

Luke stares at the notepad, tapping the pen against his leg as his mind blanks on the remaining ingredients. He can faintly smell Dr. Oliver’s cologne. Something light, and fresh, and Luke takes a deep breath, liking the scent.

Dr. Oliver takes a pull from his beer and Luke sneaks in a glance at the long line of his throat, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallows. Luke wipes his sweaty palm against the leg of his jeans, and refocuses on the shopping list, finally remembering the other ingredients he needs. He finishes writing and hands the notepad and pen over to Dr. Oliver, who drops them down onto the coffee table next to a wooden chess set.

“Oh!” Luke says. “You play chess?”

Dr. Oliver nods. “You?”

“Yeah,” Luke says. “I’m pretty good.”

“So, let’s play,” Dr. Oliver says, and picks up the board, sitting it between them on the sofa.

“Are you sure?” Luke asks. “I didn't mean to take over your whole evening. I just wanted to bring you some food.”

“Scared I’ll beat you, huh?” Dr. Oliver goads.

Luke narrows his eyes. “Bring it.” He turns and sits sideways on the sofa, and makes the first move, and almost before he’s blinked, the game’s over and Dr. Oliver’s calling ‘checkmate’.

“You totally just hustled me!”

Dr. Oliver smiles widely, and Luke notices how that makes the lines around his eyes deepen in a way that’s way too attractive. Damn him.

“Where’d you learn to play like that?” Luke asks.

“Harvard Square,” he says. “I used to hang out with these seventy-year-old Ukrainian guys after school. They showed me the game. I got to be pretty good.”

Luke’s kind of ridiculously charmed by the thought of a young Reid Oliver hanging out with a bunch of old guys learning chess. “Did you play for money?”

“Quarters,” he shrugs. “It was more about bragging rights. Then my folks started entering me into these competitions and I never lost.”

“You’re kidding?”

“No,” he says. “I was more of a trained seal, I wasn’t a kid.” He shakes his head slightly. “Then one day I just up and refused to do it anymore.”

“How old were you?”

“Twelve,” he says. “My folks were pissed. I was pissed at _them_. I didn’t talk to them for a whole month. And then...”

“And then what?”

Dr. Oliver picks a rook up off the chess board and twirls it in his fingers. “Then they got into a car wreck. They died at the scene. I never got a chance to speak to them.”

Luke tries to imagine what it must have been like for Dr. Oliver, for Reid, a twelve-year-old kid to lose his parents like that, and to have never gotten the chance to say goodbye. Or how he would feel if something like that happened to his own family. It makes his chest hurt.

“Dr. Oliver,” Luke says, “Reid. I really am—”

“I already told you, sorry’s bull—”

“Shut up,” Luke says, cutting him off. He puts his hand over Dr. Oliver’s. “I am sorry, and it _does_ matter. It’s not bullcrap.”

Dr. Oliver studies him intently. After a moment, he nods slightly, and Luke releases his hand.

“Uh, I should probably get going,” Luke says, standing up.

Dr. Oliver nods. “Thanks for dinner,” he says. “Again.”

Luke smiles. “Sure.”

“We should have the cooking lesson here,” Dr. Oliver says. “There’s more room in my kitchen.”

“Okay,” Luke agrees, heading for the hallway to take him out the back door.

Dr. Oliver follows him to the door. His eyes dart down to Luke’s mouth before flicking back up to meet Luke’s eyes again. “Okay, I’ll seeya later. Oh, Annie Judd’s coming back again on Friday morning.”

“Eight o’clock?”

“Eight o’clock,” Dr. Oliver confirms.

Luke steps out into the night and when he’s a few steps away, he spins around and calls out, “Good night, _Reid_.”

Dr. Oliver stares at Luke for a moment, then flashes one of his super fast smile and calls out, “Nite, Luke.”

Luke grins as he walks back to his quarters. He feels strange, almost happy, and it’s at such odds with this situation he’s in, and with being away from home... and Noah, that Luke’s not really sure how he can feel this way. But It doesn’t matter anyway, nothing’s going to happen between him and Reid. They’re just being friendly.

> The following day, Lukas kept a close watch on the entrance to the stable block, awaiting Mr. Lovell’s arrival. The men around him were ill-tempered, having worked late into the night assisting the guests with their departure at the ball’s conclusion, and having to rise early this morning.
> 
> Lukas, however, could not keep the grin off his face, and despite the lack of sleep, he felt as if he were walking on air.
> 
> “What are you so bleedin’ happy about?” Hughes asked with a frown at one point.
> 
> Lukas merely shrugged and went about his work, his smile unbudging.
> 
> Noah too, had thrown several inquiring looks his way, and Lukas knew his obvious good cheer was unnerving Noah.
> 
> Noah had been ignoring him ever since the incident with Madeleine, but now he seemed far too interested in Luke’s good mood.
> 
>  _Good!_ Lukas thought, rather uncharitably. _Let him be bothered!_
> 
> Lunch came and went, and still Mr. Lovell had not appeared. Lukas began to fret. What if he had changed his mind? What if he’d thought of Lukas in the cold light of day and decided he wanted nothing to do with him? Lukas began to feel ill, the smile he had worn all day falling from his face.
> 
> He had almost convinced himself that he’d been a fool when Mr. Lovell finally made an appearance late in the afternoon. He strode into the barn and made headed directly to where Lukas and Hughes were mucking out stalls.
> 
> “You!” he said gruffly. “Smith. I wish to ride. Saddle a horse for me.”
> 
> “Yes, Sir,” Lukas said, his eyes on the ground. He was not sure what to make of Mr. Lovell’s harsh manner, but he laid down his pitchfork and lead Mr. Lovell away from Hughes, walking down a long row of stalls to his right. Lukas glanced back and saw Mr. Lovell following him, and he subtly indicated that Lukas should continue down the row, away from the main area of the stable block.
> 
> After several paces Lukas came to a stop, Mr. Lovell stepping in close beside him. There was only one other man in sight, and he was several yards away. Lukas was confident no one was paying them any mind.
> 
> “Hello, Lukas,” Mr. Lovell said quietly. “I trust you are well today?” His eyes were soft, a gentle smile playing on his lips, and Lukas knew his harsh tone had just been an act to fool the others in the stable house.
> 
> Lukas grinned. “Hello, Mr. Lovell,” Lukas said. “I am very well, thank you.”
> 
> Mr. Lovell smiled shyly. “You must call me Jude when we are in private.”
> 
> “Really?” Lukas whispered, his eyes wide.
> 
> Mr. Lovell nodded, then withdrew a small volume from inside his waist coat.
> 
> “This is for you,” he said. “Lord Byron.”
> 
> “Oh!” Lukas cried. “Thank you, Sir.”
> 
> Mr. Lovell tut-tutted, and Lukas blushed. “Thank you, Jude.”
> 
> “Do you really wish to go riding?” Lukas asked. “Should I saddle a horse?”
> 
> Jude shook his head. “No, I merely needed an excuse to see you.” He looked back toward the main area. “We should not dally,” he said. “The men might grow suspicious.”
> 
> “I was— I waited for you, all morning,” Lukas said. “I began to grow afraid that you did not wish to see me again.”
> 
> “No!” Jude said fiercely. “That is not the case at all. It is quite the opposite, in fact.”
> 
> “Really?”
> 
> Jude nodded. “I tried to get away earlier but Father would not let me escape. He spent hours interrogating me about the ladies who were at the ball, asking which ones I fancied, and growing angrier and angrier when it was clear there were none I liked.”
> 
> “Were you in trouble for missing from the ball last night?”
> 
> “A little,” Jude said. “But Father would not make a scene at the ball. Besides,” Jude whispered, leaning even closer. “It was worth it.”
> 
> Lukas blushed, his heart leaping “When can I see you again?” he asked. “In private.”
> 
> “There is a place in the garden,” Jude said. “A private place nested near the Oak trees on the south side. Do you know it?”
> 
> Lukas nodded his head. “With the old stone wall?”
> 
> “Yes,” Jude said. “I shall meet you there. When can you get away?”
> 
> Lukas frowned. “I don’t think I shall be able to sneak away until tomorrow,” he said. “Around ten, once the horses are fed.”
> 
> Jude nodded. “I shall await you then,” he said, and allowed his fingers to brush Lukas’s hand gently. Lukas squeezed his fingers for a brief moment, then Jude strode away, past the horses and out of the stable block.
> 
> Lukas pocketed the volume of poetry, then headed back to the main area.
> 
> “He change his mind, did he?” Hughes asked, hitching a thumb at Jude’s departing back.
> 
> Lukas nodded. “Decided he didn’t want to ride after all,” Lukas said.
> 
> Hughes shrugged and gestured pointedly at Lukas’s abandoned pitchfork, and Lukas resumed his work. His smile had returned, however, and this time it stayed put.


	4. Chapter 4

Luke’s in the barn as usual early the next morning, when Reid shows up holding a mug of coffee, his face still sleepy-soft.

“Hey,” Luke says, surprised. “Something you needed?”

“Nope,” Reid says, “I just thought I’d come see my horses.”

“Really?” Luke’s face reflects his skepticism.

“Mmhmm.”

Luke raises his eyebrows. “Are you going to come in and touch them, or just stand there?”

“Oh, right,” he says, and walks over to the stalls where Sonny and Storm are eating their breakfast.

Luke resumes his shoveling, and a moment later he hears Reid talking to the horses as he pets them. “Hello there,” he says. “Good boy.”

Luke snorts.

“Something funny, Mr. Walsh?”

“They’re horses, Dr. Oliver, not dogs.”

“Darn,” Reid says. “And I was hoping to play fetch with them.”

Luke’s lips twitch, and he has to turn around to hide his smile. Reid’s talking quietly to the horses, and they make an occasional whinny. Luke shovels up the last of the soiled wood shavings, and wheels them out of the barn, then returns to spread out a fresh layer on the stall floors.

Reid’s hoisted himself up onto the railing along the stalls, and he’s sipping from his mug while Luke works.

“You do that every morning?” Reid asks.

“Muck stalls? Yeah,” he says. “And in the evenings. And the afternoons, too, if they’ve been in the barn.”

“Sounds fun,” Reid says, disgust evident in his voice.

Luke rolls his eyes. “Horses poop and pee a whole lot. It’s not glamorous, but it’s true.”

“You know, I wouldn’t have had a clue if you did this once a day, or three times a day, or not at all. I don’t know anything about horses.”

“No,” Luke deadpans. “Really?”

Reid smirks. “All I’m saying, Mr. Walsh, is that you could have slacked off, shirked your duties.” He shrugs. “I wouldn’t have known the difference.”

Luke snorts. “You’d have smelled it, when Annie and Laura come to see the horses.”

“True enough,” he says. “Anyway, uh, good job. Your work ethic is admirable.”

“Wow, was that a compliment?” Luke brushes off his own shoulder. “This must be one for the record books.”

Reid smiles, and kind of ducks his head, looking up at Luke through his eyelashes. Luke can’t help but smile back, and their eyes meet and hold. Reid’s tongue darts out and licks his lips, and Luke pulls his own lips into his mouth. The air between them feels charged, and by now, Luke can admit, even if only to himself, that he likes Reid. At least, he does when he’s not trying so hard to be a jerk. And now, with the way Reid’s staring at him, Luke’s pretty sure Reid likes him too. He’s just not sure what to do about any of that.

“So,” Luke says, breaking the spell. “Are you done visiting your horses already?”

“Yup,” Reid says.

“Seriously? You’re not even gonna pretend you’re interested in them?” Reid’s not even looking at the horses. He’s facing Luke, who’s bent over laying down more wood shavings.

Reid shrugs. “This view’s better,” he says, and takes a sip from his mug.

Luke’s cheeks warm up, in spite of himself, and he bites his lip again. “You’re shameless,” he says, and Reid grins.

“So,” Reid says, as Luke finishes up with the shavings and starts refilling the water buckets. “I take it you don’t have a boyfriend, since you moved here alone and all.”

“Subtle, Dr. Oliver,” Luke teases. “Real subtle.”

Reid just shrugs easily. “I’ve always found the direct approach works best.”

“I did,” Luke says. “But we broke up a while ago.”

“What happened?”

“That’s not really any of your business.”

“He dumped you, huh?”

Luke blows out a harsh breath, determined not to let Reid rile him up. It’s easier said than done. Getting a rise out of people seems to be his sole purpose in life, besides digging around in brains.

“We just...” Luke shakes his head, not even sure how to put it into words. “We wanted different things, I guess.”

Reid swings down off the railing and walks over to Luke. “What did you want?”

Luke studies his face. He appears to be serious for a change.

“I guess I just wanted to know that I came first for him. That I was his top priority, not school, or his film, or Ameer— or anything else. Just me. He came first for me.”

Reid tilts his head. “I’m no expert, but isn’t that what a relationship is supposed to be about?”

Luke huffs out a laugh. “I thought so too, but I guess Noah has other ideas.”

Reid’s looking at Luke intently, his smart blue eyes sizing Luke up. It’s unnerving, for a few different reasons, most notably because of the way it makes Luke’s insides feel funny, and it makes him think of things. Things he’s only ever done with Noah. Things he didn’t think he’d ever do with anyone else.

“I, uh, should finish up in here,” Luke says, taking a step backwards.

“And I should get to work,” Reid says, taking the hint and stepping around Luke and heading for the door. “Seeya later.”

“Bye.”

Luke thinks about Noah while he finishes up in the barn. Luke loves Noah, he really does. He can’t imagine a time when he won’t love Noah, but in the six months or so that they’ve been broken up, and especially since he’s been away from Oakdale, Luke’s started to wonder if loving Noah isn’t more of a habit than anything else. Luke’s not sure he’s still _in love_ with Noah, and while it scares him to think that way, he’s been thinking a lot about their breakup, and Luke’s less and less sure as the days go by that getting back together with him is such a good idea after all.

All they ever seemed to do was hurt each other, over and over again. Maybe they’re just not right for each other.

When Luke thinks about the last few months of their relationship, the way they’d drifted apart, and the way Noah’s film had taken priority over Luke in every way, it hurts.

While Luke’s so grateful that he got his dad back, when he thinks about the way Noah had missed Holden’s funeral to go to L.A. with Mason instead, and then the way he’d gushed about the Hollywood parties they’d attended and the movie stars they’d met as soon as he got back, before he even asked Luke about the funeral, or how he was coping, it still burns all these months later. If Luke’s being honest with himself, that’s when things really started unravelling.

Luke had tried to move past that indiscretion. Noah had been apologetic about his insensitivity and Luke forgave him, but then things had spiralled out of control. Noah and _Mason_ were spending more time together than Noah and Luke were, and Mason had made it clear to Luke in no uncertain terms that he’d set his sights on Noah. And when Noah’s film was finally finished, and the time they’d spent away from each other was supposed to be over, Noah had taken his film on the short film festival circuit with Mason.

It was supposed to be for just a couple weeks, but that had turned into an unexpected job opportunity for Noah in L.A. — brokered by Mason, who also conveniently happened to be moving to L.A. too, and that had been the final straw.

They’d broken up, and though Luke had held onto his hope they’d get back together eventually, Luke’s now realized that when only one person in the relationship is trying to make it work, it’s impossible.

Luke and Noah hadn’t even spoken in over a month when the stuff with the Grimaldis went down. He doesn’t think Noah has any idea what’s going on. He wonders if he even cares.

Luke’s dad had texted him last night with an update, which was that there was no update. They’re not any closer to resolving the threat against him, but at least his family is safe with Luke out of the picture, and it doesn’t seem like the Grimaldis have any idea where Luke is. He’s safe, and his family is safe, and all Luke has to do is get through the days until he can go home. Only… Luke’s not in such a rush to go home anymore. There’s something comforting about Luke’s routine here, and the fact there’s no expectations on him to be anyone or do anything except look after the horses.

Luke’s been out riding a few times, something he doesn’t do much of anymore back home. He’s usually too busy with work, or with Noah, or some family drama or other. Luke didn’t even know how much he was missing it until he took off around the pasture for the first time, feeling Storm’s powerful body underneath him, and the wind in his hair. He’d felt freer than he had in a long time. He rides Sonny and Storm once or twice a week each, and lets them roam around the pasture the rest of the time.

Now that Luke knows the real reason Reid bought the horses wasn’t just to throw his money around and impress a woman, his initial resentment has been replaced with a hell of a lot of goodwill. Luke feels sorry for him too, though. Losing his parents at such a young age, and now, living alone in this big house. No friends, no personal life. It must be lonely.

Luke says as much to Victoria the next day, when they’re both in the laundry room.

“You’re right, mijo,” Victoria says. “He is lonely, I can tell. But you’re lonely, too.”

“No, it’s just... I miss my family I guess.”

“It’s more than that. You carry deep sorrow, loneliness even when you’re with your family. I see it on your face.”

Luke doesn’t know what to say to that, so he says nothing. Victoria just smiles and pats his cheek in that way that she does, and leaves him to his dirty laundry.

As Luke adds soap to the washing machine, he thinks about the last few months in Oakdale, and how many nights Noah came home late, long after Luke had gone to bed, because he was working on his film with Mason, or was hanging out with guys from his crew. He thinks about how lonely he’d been.

It’s not just the film, though, that’s responsible for the distance between them. Even before that, right from the start, if Luke’s being honest with himself, whenever things were difficult, whenever things didn’t go perfectly, Noah’s default state was to pull away from Luke, to put distance between them until he sorted things out in his own head, and was ready to deal with Luke.

It’s like he told Reid: Noah was Luke’s first priority, but Luke can honestly say he didn’t often feel like Noah’s. It’s a hell of a lonely way to have a relationship.

~*~

> Lukas slipped quietly from the stable block the next morning, having completed his morning chores, and headed toward the part of the garden in which he was to meet Jude. He could not keep the smile from his face at the thought of seeing Jude again. He recalled how his heart had raced when Jude’s fingers caressed his own the previous day, and the way Jude’s eyes softened with newfound affection when he smiled at Lukas.
> 
> Glancing around his surroundings to make sure no one was watching, Lukas slipped inside the copse of trees and his eyes immediately fell upon Jude. He was leaning back against the old stone wall, and the sun shone down on his head of burnished curls, turning them a rich, golden colour. He was wearing a dark blue tailcoat, and it made his blue eyes sparkle as he saw Lukas approach, and smiled in greeting.
> 
> “You were able to get away!” Jude said, and Lukas could hear the relief in his voice.
> 
> Lukas nodded and came to a stop next to Jude. “I slipped out while Holden was detained with Mr. Winston, the blacksmith.”
> 
> “You won’t get in trouble, I hope,” Jude asked worriedly.
> 
> Lukas shook his head. “No one will notice me missing for an hour or so.”
> 
> “Let us make good use of our limited time together, then,” Jude said, and grasped Lukas’s hand in his own, leading them along a narrow path to a secluded area, where the stone wall formed a protective circle.
> 
> “If anyone comes, we shall hear them approach and have fair warning,” Jude said. “Though I can’t imagine anyone will venture this way. We are alone.”
> 
> Lukas smiled and they sat side by side on the lawn, their backs pressed to the ancient stone wall, his palm pressed against Jude’s own.
> 
> “Did you have a chance to read any of the Byron?” Jude asked.
> 
> Lukas shook his head. “I did not.”
> 
> It had been dark by the time Lukas had completed his chores, and he did not wish to read by lamp light in his quarters, lest the other men ask him where he got the book from. He had been anxious, however, his fingers itching to crack the pages open and see what lay inside.
> 
> “Do you have it on your person?” Jude asked, and Lukas nodded, extracting the volume from his pocket.
> 
> “Why don’t you read some now.”
> 
> “Really?” Lukas asked, already flipping through the pages, his eyes greedily devouring the words.
> 
> Jude nodded. “Read something to me.”
> 
> Lukas smiled, and thumbed through the pages, selecting _She Walks in Beauty_.
> 
> Jude’s eyes never left his face as he read, a small smile playing on his lips. When Lukas finished, Jude said, “Beautiful!” And Lukas knew from his tone that it was not merely Lord Byron’s words to which he was referring.
> 
> Lukas sighed happily, hugging the book to his chest.
> 
> “You read very well,” Jude said.
> 
> “Thank you,” Lukas said. “My mother taught me when I was a boy and I have always loved to read and write. I only wish...”
> 
> “What do you wish?”
> 
> Lukas shrugged, embarrassed. “I wish I had more education. I must seem dreadfully stupid to you.”
> 
> “Nonsense,” Jude said firmly. “You read with a clearer tongue than half the lads at Oxford.”
> 
> “I doubt that very much!” Lukas laughed. “But you are kind to say so.” Lukas’s smile dropped. “I had thought I would go to college one day,” he said. “When I was a boy. But then my father died so suddenly and my mother and I, well, she had no family to turn to. Her marriage to my father was a love match, but it was not supported by either side of their families. My parents did not care, however, for they were happy together, even if we had very little. But then...” Lukas shook his head. “My father grew ill and he passed. My mother and I were alone. We came here, to Oakdale Hall, and we are fortunate, we both have employment and we are well looked after.”
> 
> “But you never got your education,” Jude said.
> 
> Lukas shook his head, then conjured a smile. “Let’s not talk of sad things any longer,” he said.
> 
> Jude returned Lukas’s smile. “Very well,” he said. “Read me another poem.”
> 
> Lukas grinned, and did so, and as he read, Jude slipped his arm across Lukas’s shoulder and tugged him close, until Lukas’s head rested upon Jude’s chest as he read.
> 
> Lukas could feel the steady beating of Jude’s heart against his ear. The birds were chirping in the trees above, the sun was shining down, and Lukas felt warm and safe and happy, nestled in Jude’s embrace.
> 
> When the poem was ended, Lukas closed the book and placed it beside him on the ground, content to close his eyes and rest in Jude’s arms. Jude’s hand came to rest on Luke’s cheek, his fingers stroking gently along Lukas’s cheekbone.
> 
> “You are very sweet, Jude Lovell,” Lukas said. “I had no idea you could be sweet. You were a right pain when you came to the stable last week and demanded I saddle you a horse.”
> 
> Jude snorted. “When I first saw you, I thought you were beautiful,” he said quietly. “And unattainable. So I behaved like a beast.”
> 
> Lukas lifted his head from Jude’s chest and smiled. “Lucky for you, Mr. Lovell, I am rather fond of beasts.”
> 
> Jude laughed. “I am indeed fortunate.”
> 
> “How did you know I was... in the stable, when you kissed me... how did you know I was... that way inclined?”
> 
> Jude shrugged. “You were not backing away from me, and I was standing rather closer than was proper.”
> 
> Lukas laughed. “You were indeed.”
> 
> “There were some fellows at Eton, and then later at Oxford...” Jude trailed off. “We can sense our own kind, Lukas.”
> 
> Lukas sat back. “You have been with... others?”
> 
> “A few,” Jude nodded. “For physical relief. But I did not feel for any of them what I already feel for you.”
> 
> “Jude,” Lukas whispered, laying his hand against Jude’s cheek.
> 
> Jude leaned forward and placed a soft kiss against Lukas’s lips before sitting back.
> 
> “And what of yourself?” Jude asked. “There was a boy you were upset about the other night. Do you care deeply for him?”
> 
> Lukas closed his eyes briefly, thinking of Noah. “I thought I loved him,” he said. “But he betrayed me. I’m not sure I ever really knew him, let alone loved him, or that he felt the same for me.”
> 
> Jude’s lips pursed, frown lines marring his forehead. Lukas held up two fingers and rubbed them away, until the smile returned to Jude’s face.
> 
> “He’s a fool,” Jude said. “I have known you but a few short days and I already know that you are indeed easy to love.”
> 
> Lukas blushed at the words, his heart warming. “It is so easy for you to say such things,” Lukas said. “Do you not find it difficult to speak of beauty, and love, for a man instead of a woman? Are they not unnatural, these feelings we have?”
> 
> Jude shook his head vehemently. “There is nothing unnatural about love,” he said, resting his palm once more against Lukas’s cheek. “How can feelings so true and strong be anything but pure?”
> 
> Lukas closed his eyes, leaning into Jude’s hand and enjoying his touch. They were thoughts Lukas himself shared. If there was anything unnatural about Lukas’s love for men, he did not care. Nothing felt more right to him than this touch.
> 
> When he opened his eyes, Jude was staring at him with an expression akin to awe on his face. “You are beautiful, Lukas,” he said. “So beautiful.”
> 
> “I— I think your parents were indeed fortunate,” Jude said earnestly. “To have formed a love match, society be damned!”
> 
> Lukas fell forward then, pressing his lips against Jude’s and sighing against his mouth.
> 
> Jude kissed him back, and their mouths opened hungrily as they tasted each other. The kiss went on and on, and Lukas felt his penis hardening inside his trousers. He pulled away with a gasp.
> 
> “What’s wrong?” Jude asked, his lips chasing after Lukas’s and snaring them in another kiss.
> 
> Lukas moaned, returning the kiss for several minutes until he was forced to pull away. Lukas took in a shuddering breath, his cock hard and obvious in his trousers. “I’m sorry, I got carried away,” Lukas apologized, pressing his hand against the bulge, willing it to soften.
> 
> “I should bloody hope you got carried away,” Jude said, and the curse word shocked Lukas. It was then that he noticed Jude too was hard in his trousers, and he was not attempting to hide it, as Lukas was.
> 
> Jude dove back in for another kiss, and pressed Lukas backwards until he was lying on the soft grass. Lukas could feel him above, his hardness pressing against Lukas’s thigh as they kissed.
> 
> Lukas gasped, and Jude’s mouth moved away from his own, laying a trail of kisses across his cheek and down his neck.
> 
> Lukas clutched at Jude’s back, holding him close as Jude’s weight pressed him into the ground. His cock was throbbing, and Lukas moaned, reaching his hand in between their bodies to rub at the front of his trousers.
> 
> Jude sat up and batted his hand away. “Let me?”
> 
> Lukas could only nod, as Jude opened Lukas’s trousers and released his turgid penis, stroking him from root to tip as Lukas bucked up into the wonderful pressure. He’d only ever had his own hand on his penis, and he was amazed at how wonderful it was to feel Jude’s touch there instead. He squeezed his eyes closed and gave himself over to the incredible pleasure. “Oh!” Lukas cried, as Jude brought him close to a release. “Yes, please!”
> 
> Just as Lukas was about to reach his climax, Jude removed his hand, and Lukas groaned in frustration.
> 
> Jude laughed, and Lukas opened his eyes to glare at him, but Jude just smiled before descending slowly, until his mouth hovered above Luke’s penis.
> 
> Lukas’s eyes widened. “Oh! No,” he said. “You’re not going to...”
> 
> Lukas’s word were cut off as Jude’s mouth closed over Lukas’s penis, sucking it inside the wet heat of his mouth. Lukas’s hands flew up to his face, his palms pressing down on his eyes as Jude sucked him, the incredible feeling driving him quickly towards orgasm.
> 
> “Jude!” Lukas cried. “I’m going to shoot!”
> 
> But Jude did not pull away, his mouth kept a tight seal over the head of Lukas’s penis, and he swallowed all of Lukas’s release before releasing it from his mouth with a wet plop.
> 
> Lukas could not form words, he merely lay back on the grass, his chest heaving with exertion. When he was finally able to open his eyes, he saw that Jude had fished his own hard penis from his trousers. It was almost purple, and stiff as a board, Lukas saw moisture already pearling at the end as Jude began to stroke himself, his release long past due.
> 
> “Oh,” Lukas said, unable to manage anything more eloquent. He watched as Jude’s eyes squeezed close, his hand speeding up the strokes on his penis, and Lukas knew he wanted to touch it, wanted to feel Jude spend in his hand. He pushed aside Jude’s hand and took over with the same quick strokes.
> 
> Jude’s eyes flew open, and his lips formed an O shape. He leaned his face into Lukas’s neck, his hot breath hitting Lukas in stuttering pants as his climax built. Lukas dipped his thumb into the slit at the head of Jude’s penis, rubbing the moisture around on each stroke, and in no time at all Jude was groaning against Lukas’s neck as he found his own release.
> 
> They both fell backwards, lying on their backs as their quick heart beats began to return to normal.
> 
> Lukas laughed, a joyful, carefree sound bursting from his throat, and he turned his face and saw Jude’s sparkling eyes.
> 
> “That was incredible!” Lukas declared, another happy laugh escaping.
> 
> Jude slid forward and placed a chaste kiss against Lukas’s lips, but Lukas wanted more, and he pressed his tongue inside Jude’s mouth, deepening the kiss. He tasted something unfamiliar, and with a start he realised it was the taste of his own semen. Jude had swallowed him when he’d climaxed, and Lukas could taste the remnants. He moaned, his tongue swiping at the taste. He thought he ought to feel disgusted at such an act, but instead, he felt his flaccid penis stirring once more at the taste of himself in Jude’s mouth, and the memory of the act he’d performed and had seemed to enjoy, no less!
> 
> The kiss ended and Jude sighed. “It was incredible,” he agreed, then sat up reluctantly, and fished a pocket watch from his waistcoat.
> 
> “We have been here more than an hour,” Jude said. “Will the men be looking for you?”
> 
> Lukas sighed. “Yes, they are probably wondering where I am by now.”
> 
> Lukas too sat up and reluctantly straightened his clothing, making himself presentable for his return to the stable block. He felt incredible, warm and giddy, his body thrumming. He wanted to lie here in Jude’s arms all day, but his work was calling him.
> 
> Lukas sighed heavily. “I do not wish to leave you.”
> 
> “I know, my love,” Jude said. “Nor do I wish to leave you.”
> 
> Jude grasped his hand as they walked toward the edge of the copse where they must separate. “Are you able to return tomorrow?” Jude asked. “The same time?”
> 
> Lukas nodded. “I will make sure of it,” he said, then steeled himself for his departure.
> 
> Jude touched his palm to Lukas’s cheek once more, laid a kiss upon his lips, then released him.
> 
> Lukas began to walk briskly back to the stable block, turning around once to smile at Jude, who stood watching him.
> 
> Jude held two fingers to his lips and blew a kiss his way, and Lukas heart warmed once more.
> 
> *
> 
> When Lukas returned to the stable block, Holden was hollering for him.
> 
> “There you are! I’ve been crying out for donkey’s ears! Where’ve ya been?”
> 
> “Sorry,” Lukas said. “I’m here now, what didya need?”
> 
> “What do ya bloody think I need?” Holden said, hooking a thumb toward the stalls. “Get shovelin’!”
> 
> Lukas nodded and hustled off, picking up a shovel along the way. Nothing could break his good mood, not even the stinking mess he was hauling out of the stalls. His mind was full of Jude. Of Jude’s smile, and his kisses, and his hands. Lukas flushed as he wheeled the barrow full of soiled straw out of the stable block, remembering the feel of Jude’s hand on his penis, and then his penis in Jude’s mouth. His mouth! Lukas shivered with excitement, the hours until he could return to Jude once more seemed much too long.
> 
> As Lukas emptied the soiled straw, Noah approached him, his eyebrows knit together.
> 
> Lukas frowned, his happiness immediately falling away. “What do you want?”
> 
> “I just wanted to see you,” Noah said. “Make sure you were al’right. I aint seen you much since...”
> 
> “You aint seen me because you’ve been making sure not to be where I am.”
> 
> “I’m sorry, Lukas. About Madeleine. I just wish I could make you see, this is how it has to be for men like us. What we... what we did, together, it’s against God’s will.”
> 
> Lukas shook his head in disgust. “I couldn’t give a fig, Noah,” he said. “Marry Madeleine, I truly don’t care.”
> 
> “You don’t mean that, Lukas.”
> 
> “I bloody do!” Lukas said. “Now leave me be. I have work to do.” Lukas wheeled the barrow back into the stable, and put Noah out of his mind. His thoughts once more returning to Jude.
> 
> *
> 
> Lukas’s heart fluttered wildly as he made his way towards where Jude awaited him the following day.
> 
> Lukas approached the copse of trees and entered their secluded meeting place. Jude was already there, and his face broke into a wide smile when he saw Lukas approaching.
> 
> “Lukas!” Jude called, hurrying over to meet him.
> 
> Lukas could not help the smile which overtook his face.
> 
> “Jude!” Lukas cried, his steps also quickening. When they met, Jude wasted no time embracing him, then pulling back to clasp Lukas’s face between his palms and kiss him on the mouth.
> 
> Lukas smiled against Jude’s lips, his heart racing with happiness as he returned the kiss.
> 
> “I know it has been only a day,” Jude said between kisses. “But I’ve missed you dreadfully.”
> 
> “And I you,” Lukas said, clutching Jude’s hand between his own as they walked to the stone circle in which they could have privacy.
> 
> They sat down on the grass with their backs against the stone wall as they had the day before, and held tightly to each other’s hands. Lukas’s hands were bigger, his fingers calloused and rough from working in the stable. Jude’s fingers were slimmer, and longer, almost delicate, and Lukas held them to his lips and kissed them gently.
> 
> Jude smiled crookedly, almost shyly, and Lukas’s heart leapt once again.
> 
> “Did you bring the book with you, my love?” Jude asked.
> 
> Lukas nodded, and removed it from his inner pocket.
> 
> “Will you read to me again?” Jude asked, and Lukas smiled, shifting around until his back was pressed to Jude’s chest, and Jude’s arms were wrapped around him, holding him securely in place.
> 
> Lukas read aloud for several minutes, and couldn’t remember a time he’d felt more content in his life.
> 
> When the poem ended, Lukas laid the book down on the grass and leaned back, nuzzling his face against Jude’s neck. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply, inhaling his scent, and felt Jude press a kiss to his forehead. Lukas laughed gaily, unable to stop himself. “I’m so happy being here with you.”
> 
> “And I with you,” Jude said, nudging his nose against Lukas’s cheek until he moved his head back a little, and allowed their lips to meet.
> 
> Jude licked at Lukas’s lips, seeking entrance to his mouth, and Lukas was happy to comply with the request.
> 
> Their kisses grew urgent, and soon, their hands were roaming, exploring each other’s body’s as they had done the day before.
> 
> Lukas grew hard, his penis aching for relief from the confines of his trousers. Sensing his need, Jude slipped his hand inside Lukas’s pants and wrapped it around around the hard penis, his touch light but confident as he worked the shaft. Lukas groaned, and fell back against the soft grass, tugging his trousers down low, so that Jude had better access.
> 
> “That’s lovely, Lukas,” Jude said, then sank down, his mouth replacing his fingers and covering Lukas’s shaft in slick, wet heat.
> 
> Lukas whimpered, the sensation just as incredible as he’d remembered, and his hips bucked up of their own volition as Jude sucked him.
> 
> When Jude’s mouth pulled off with a wet pop, Lukas’s eyes flew open. Jude had two fingers in his mouth, sucking them and making them wet, and a moment later he ducked back down and sucked Lukas’s penis back in as his wet fingertips played at Luke’s entrance.
> 
> Lukas sucked in a sharp breath. This! This is what he had been wanting for so long. Oh, how he wanted it!
> 
> “Please, Jude!” Lukas cried. “Please!”
> 
> Jude slipped a finger inside Lukas’s bottom. “Yes,” Lukas moaned.
> 
> Jude continued to suck Lukas’s penis while his finger played inside him, and after a few moments he added a second finger, pumping them both in and out.
> 
> “Yes, yes, yes,” Lukas chanted, unable to keep quiet.
> 
> Lukas’s climax built rapidly, the dual sensations of Jude sucking him while his fingers played inside Lukas’s arse were almost too much to cope with, and when Jude’s fingers pressed on something deep inside Lukas, his limbs stiffened in shock as an incredible pleasure overtook him.
> 
> Jude’s fingers continued to brush against this secret place inside him, and his mouth fastened over the head of Lukas’s penis, his tongue swirling in an incredible motion. Lukas could not think coherently, he was utterly lost in the sensations, and soon after, he reached his climax, shooting his seed into Jude’s mouth.
> 
> Lukas lay panting on the ground, his spent penis twitching against his thigh, and his legs akimbo.
> 
> When he regained his senses, he reached out for Jude, wanting to bring him to his own release, but found that he already done so, and his trousers were stained with wetness.
> 
> “You spent without touching it!” Lukas was shocked.
> 
> Jude nodded, and Lukas groaned at such a thought, reaching for him and rolling them both over, until Lukas was covering Jude with his slightly bigger body, kissing him furiously and tasting himself in Jude’s mouth.
> 
> Jude kissed him back just as fiercely, and when Lukas finally rolled away to catch his breath, he felt as if he might cry he was so happy.
> 
> Jude tucked Lukas’s penis away back inside his trousers, then swiped at his own pants with his handkerchief.
> 
> “I shall have to sneak into the house and hope no one sees me before I can change my trousers,” Jude said, then laughed.
> 
> Lukas shook his head in amusement. Joking about such things was surely a sin. And yet, he found he did not care.
> 
> Moments later, they parted once more, with promises to meet again the next day. Lukas could scarcely wait.
> 
> *
> 
> Their days began to follow this pattern. Lukas would sneak away for an hour or so in the morning, and would meet Jude in their special place. Lukas would read for a while, Shelley, or Byron, or Coleridge, which Jude would bring for him, and then they would make love.
> 
> Lukas learned how to suck Jude’s penis, and bring him to pleasure with his mouth, and he always felt a hot sort of thrill tingle in his gut when he succeeded, and his mouth flooded with Jude’s salty release.
> 
> They sucked each other at the same time, sometimes, Lukas on his knees above Jude, his own penis dangling down into Jude’s mouth while Lukas sucked at Jude’s. They matched their breathing and became one as they strained to reach a climax at the same time. They perfected the act, and then Lukas began to want more, begging Jude to use three fingers in his bottom as he sucked him off, and then four, until he trembled with need for more, and then he begged Jude for that too.
> 
> Jude obliged, bringing a tin of salve with him one day. He slicked his hard penis with it, and then Lukas straddled his lap, feeling the hardness at his entrance.
> 
> “Slowly, Lukas,” Jude urged him. “I do not wish to hurt you.”
> 
> Lukas sank down on the shaft bit by bit, until it was fully encased in his backside. Sweat broke out on his forehead, and his chest heaved as he tried to draw breath.
> 
> “I know, my love,” Jude whispered, wiping the damp hair from his forehead. “I know it hurts a little, but that is part of it. It will feel better soon.”
> 
> Lukas nodded, and took several quick breaths, trying to accommodate the thick shaft inside him. Jude held him close and kissed his cheeks, and his forehead, and each eyelid. He rubbed Lukas’s back, and his tummy, and as the pain began to subside, Lukas began to swivel on Jude’s lap, feeling every inch of the incredible hardness inside him.
> 
> They moaned in unison, and Lukas couldn’t help but smile.
> 
> “It’s starting to feel good, Jude,” Lukas whispered as he moved.
> 
> Jude nodded, and fastened his mouth to Lukas’s neck, sucking him there as Lukas began to rise and fall, working Jude’s shaft with his bottom.
> 
> Jude moaned, and Lukas imagined how it must feel for him, then imagined his own penis inside Jude’s backside, and how much tighter and hotter it would be than Jude’s mouth. The thought made him groan hotly and he began to ride Jude’s shaft in earnest, bouncing up and down, experimenting with the angle until he found that spot inside which made everything feel incredible.
> 
> “Oh!” Lukas cried out, as he found it. He continued to bounce, hitting the spot over and over, clutching tightly to Jude’s shoulders. “Oh!”
> 
> Jude’s hand wrapped around Lukas’s leaking shaft, and tugged it in time with Lukas’s movements.
> 
> Lukas felt his orgasm approaching, and he began to ride Jude faster and faster. Jude’s hand tightened on his shaft, milking him, and with a loud cry, Lukas reached his crescendo, emptying into Jude’s hand. His bottom clamped down tightly when he came, and Jude cried out, urging him not to stop his movements. A moment later, Jude came too, shooting his semen deep inside Lukas.
> 
> Lukas collapsed against Jude’s chest, his breathing laboured, and he felt Jude’s seed dripping out of his bottom. He shivered through aftershocks, slumped in Jude’s arms, exhausted, sated, and with his heart bursting with love, and prayed to God that he could have this, always.


	5. Chapter 5

The Judds return on Friday morning, and now that Luke knows Annie’s sick, he sees the small signs he was missing before. How she tires quickly, and how she’s weaker than a kid her age should be. She’s not even walking on her own from the house this time, her mom’s carrying her against her hip, and they both look tired and upset.

Annie half-heartedly plays with Storm and Sonny for ten minutes or so, and then says she wants to leave. She holds her arms up for Reid to take her, and he looks surprised, but he takes her and lets her wrap her arms around his neck and rest her head on his shoulder. Laura smiles sadly, and rubs Annie’s back, and Luke sees Reid’s arms tighten his hold around her little body.

Luke shoots Reid an inquiring look, but he just gives an infinitesimal shake of his head and walks them out to their car.

Luke follows, and when Laura and Annie have driven away, he stops Reid from getting in his own car.

“Hey,” he says, touching Reid’s shoulder. “Is Annie all right?”

Reid sighs, and squeezes the bridge of his nose between his fingers. “I don’t know,” he says. “I’m meeting them at the hospital now, we need to run some tests.”

Luke nods, and lets go of Reid’s shoulder. He opens the car door and slips inside, and Luke closes the door behind him. Reid rolls down the window and starts the engine, sitting with his hands on the wheel for a long moment.

“Hey,” Luke says gently. “I’m sure she’ll be okay.”

Reid nods, then buckles his seatbelt and pulls out of the driveway. Luke watches his car until it disappears around a curve, then heads back to his quarters, hoping with everything he has that Annie’s all right. He thinks of Natalie, who’s just a little older than Annie, and he wishes he could give her a hug. He sends his dad a text: _Miss you guys_ , and tries not to feel too disappointed when he gets a reply later: _We miss you too. No progress, sorry_.

*

Reid works late that night. Luke listens out for the sound of his car in the driveway all night, but by 11:00, he’s exhausted, and goes to bed. When he gets up the next morning, Reid’s car’s still not there, and Luke assumes he must have slept at the clinic. Reid’s never not come home, at least, not since Luke’s been living here. He wonders if it’s not just standard practice for doctors, sometimes. Then he wonders if there was some bad news about Annie, and his heart pounds hard in his chest, worry settling over him like a blanket.

Luke’s not sure exactly what time he’s supposed to meet Reid for their cooking lesson. Hell, he’s not sure Reid even remembers they’re supposed to be having one, or if he’ll even be home today.

He tries not to think about it while he feeds the horses, and mucks out the stalls, then takes Sonny and Storm out to the pasture for the day.

By one o’clock, he’s showered and had some lunch, and done a pretty good job of not thinking the worst, but when he hears Reid’s car pull in, he bolts for the door and heads for the house.

Luke knocks on the back door, and Reid opens up a few moments later. He’s still wearing yesterday’s clothes, and he looks rumpled and exhausted.

“You look beat.”

Reid nods and turns, and Luke follows him down the hallway to the kitchen, where Reid’s making a pot of coffee, then leans back against the counter, rubbing a hand over his eyes.

“How’s Annie?”

Reid sighs. “I admitted her to the hospital,” he says. “She won’t be visiting the horses for a while.”

“Oh, no,” Luke says. “Is something— did her condition get... worse?”

“The tumors aren’t responding to radiation, they’re growing instead of shrinking.”

“Will you still be able to operate?”

“I don’t know,” Reid says. “I don’t know if I can.” A second later, he bangs his fist down on the counter. “Goddammit!”

Luke grabs hold of his fist. “Hey, stop that. You have to look after your hands if you’re going to save her life.”

Reid blows out a harsh breath. “The tumors are in a delicate position, it’s too risky to operate right now. If they don’t start shrinking, I may not be able to get in there at all. And if I don’t...”

“Hey,” Luke says, squeezing the hand he’s still holding. “You have to stay positive. Annie’s counting on you, and Laura, and Juan and Victoria. You can do this. I have faith in you.”

Reid snorts. “They’re all counting on me,” he says, a rising note of hysteria in his voice. “Juan, Victoria, Laura and Annie. And I’m letting them down.”

“You’re _not_ letting them down,” Luke says firmly. “You’re doing everything humanly possible.”

“That’s just it!” Reid says. “I do what mere mortals can’t do. _I’m_ the guy they call when no one else has the skill, or the balls to cut. I’m supposed to be _better_ than human, but this time, when it counts the most, when it’s Victoria’s grandkid, I— I can’t...” Reid shakes his head.

Luke grasps Reid’s chin, forcing him to meet Luke’s eyes.

“Stop,” Luke says. “Stop, and take a breath.”

Reid’s harsh pants are hitting Luke’s face, and Luke tries to project calming, soothing thoughts through his expression.

Slowly, Reid’s breathing slows down, and Luke nods. “Okay, that’s good,” he says. “You need to stay calm, and focused. All you can do is wait for her to respond to treatment, that’s all anyone can do, Reid. Don’t beat yourself up about things you can’t control.”

Reid’s staring at Luke intently, his eyes blazing, and Luke realizes just how close together they’re standing. Luke would only have to move forward an inch or two, and their lips would meet. Reid seems to realize the same thing at the exact same moment, because his eyes go dark with lust, and his breathing picks up again. He licks his lips, and drops his eyes to Luke’s mouth.

Luke stares back, his own pulse racing. His skin feels prickly, his blood hot, and his dick is starting to stir.

And then something beeps.

Startled, lets go of Reid’s hand and pulls away.

Reid unclips something from his pocket, and Luke realizes it’s a beeper.

“Sorry,” Reid says, checking the number. “It’s just the hospital.”

“Do you have to go?”

Reid shakes his head. “No, it’s just an update on a patient.”

Luke nods and shoves his hands in his pockets. His heart is still thumping fast, but the moment’s lost. Luke’s not sure if he’s relieved, or disappointed.

Reid’s face shows a few warring emotions, too, and Luke decides the safest course is a change of subject.

“So,” Luke says. “I don’t know if you remembered, but we were supposed to have that cooking lesson today.”

“I remembered,” Reid says.

“We can postpone it,” Luke shrugs. “You’re probably tired. Did you even get any sleep last night?”

Reid pinches the bridge of his nose. “Not really,” he says. “Look, it’s probably a good idea if we do skip the cooking. I’m kind of crawling out of my skin right now, and would probably end up burning everything anyway. Raincheck?”

“Sure,” Luke says. “Some other time.”

Reid nods, and sways forward a little, like he’s unsure if he should move closer or not.

“I’m gonna take off,” Luke says, and Reid stills. “Let you get some rest.”

“I think I’m too wired to sleep,” Reid says ruefully. “But sure. I’ll see you later.”

Luke hesitates a second, then nods. “Bye.”

Luke goes back to his quarters and slumps down on the sofa, his mind whirring. Poor Annie. Poor _Laura_ , and Victoria, and Juan. Luke feels awful for them, and he’s only known them a few weeks. He can’t imagine how badly Reid must be feeling, how helpless. He’d been so upset, so _human_ just now, and Luke knows him well enough by now to know that he feels things a lot more deeply than he lets on.

They almost kissed. They would have, if Reid’s beeper hadn’t interrupted them. Luke closes his eyes, picturing Reid’s face, and the desire in his eyes, and he groans. His dick is definitely with the program now, and his face feels hot.

Luke sighs, and gets a bottle of water from the fridge, taking a deep pull of cooling water.

He turns on his laptop, and his word processing program is open right where he left it.

>  _Lukas frantically untied Jude’s neckcloth, uncovering the soft expanse of his long, creamy neck. He latched his mouth there and suckled as he rode the hard shaft in his backside, while Jude thrust up into him from below._

Luke groans again, and slams the laptop closed. His dick is definitely paying attention, and he presses his hand against his hard-on, getting a little friction.

Luke stands up, hesitates for just a second, then deliberately doesn’t let himself think about what he’s doing. He heads back over to the house and knocks on the door. There’s no answer, and he pounds harder.

“Hold on! Hold on,” he hears, and then Reid’s there, wearing just a pair of jeans, his hair and chest still damp from the shower. “What are you—”

Luke doesn’t let him finish, just slams his mouth against Reid’s and gets the kiss he’s been aching for.

It’s good, and when Luke pulls back and presses back in more gently, and Reid’s mouth opens up, it gets even better. Reid’s mouth tastes minty fresh, and in the back of Luke’s mind he thinks that Reid must have just brushed his teeth. But then he stops thinking, because Reid’s taking control of the kiss, gripping Luke’s face in his hands and tilting Luke’s head sideways, his tongue delving into Luke’s mouth.

Luke whimpers, clutching at Reid’s shoulders, and hair, his fingers grabbing hold of a handful of damp curls and kissing back with everything he’s got.

Reid pulls back and opens his eyes, steering Luke backwards down the hall with a tight grip on his shoulders while dropping pecks against his lips the entire time. They come to a stop by an open doorway, and Reid shoves Luke inside, his mouth never straying far from Luke’s.

A moment later, Luke finds himself flat on his back on what he assumes is Reid’s bed. He’s never seen Reid’s bedroom before, and he cranes his head as Reid’s hot mouth leaves wet, sucking kisses against his neck, his fingers busily undoing the buttons on Luke’s shirt.

Luke can’t see much, just a bedside table with a lamp, and a bunch of journals and books. And then his shirt is unbuttoned and Reid’s mouth moves down to his nipple, and Luke stops thinking about anything except how good Reid’s mouth feels, lips and teeth tugging his nipple to hardness and then moving over to do the same to the other one.

Luke sinks his fingers into Reid’s hair, holding him down against Luke’s chest, and groans at how good his mouth feels leaving wet trails across his chest.

Reid tears his mouth away and kisses Luke’s mouth again, nipping at Luke’s lower lip with his teeth, sucking it into his own mouth and running his tongue over it.

Luke whimpers into the kiss, humping his hips up against Reid’s and trying to get some friction on his hard cock.

Reid presses him into the mattress as they kiss, his own hard cock rubbing against Luke’s through the barrier of their jeans.

Reid’s fingers move to Luke’s zipper, and he tugs it down, then pulls away from Luke’s mouth, leaning back to yank Luke’s jeans down.

Everything’s moving so fast. Luke’s head is spinning, and if his brain was fully engaged, he’s pretty sure he’d be running for the door right about now. As it is, Reid’s next move is to tug down his _own_ jeans, and then he’s standing there, completely naked, his big, hard cock bobbing in front of him, and all rational thought flies out of Luke’s mind.

Reid settles back down on top of Luke, and the slide of their hot, naked bodies makes Luke shiver at the goodness of it. Reid’s tongue is back in Luke’s mouth, and his kisses are so heady, and so deep, Luke feels like he can hardly breathe.

“Roll over,” Reid says against Luke’s ear when he finally tears his mouth away.

Luke hesitates a second, but rolls anyway, settling on his front and humping against the sheets below. Reid rummages around inside the bedside table drawer, and pulls out a condom and tube of lube.

Luke’s cock is leaking, and hard as a rock, and he takes a deep breath, preparing himself for penetration. Luke buries his face in the pillow. He’s so horny, it’s been months, and he hasn’t felt this worked up in a long time. His hole clenches, wanting to be filled up.

Reid’s shuffling around on the bed behind him, and Luke tenses automatically at the thought of his thick cock breaching Luke’s hole.

He takes another deep breath, and forces himself to relax, and a moment later he feels Reid’s hands on his ass. It’s not his cock, though, he feels a second later, nudging at his hole. It takes him a few seconds to realize it’s Reid’s tongue. Oh. God. It’s Reid’s _tongue_.

Luke groans into the pillow, and Reid takes that as his cue to move things along. He pulls back from Luke’s hole, swiping his tongue up and down Luke’s crack a few times before returning to his hole, stiffening his tongue and spearing it inside.

Luke cries into the pillow, the sound muffled, but he can’t stop his hips from pushing back against Reid’s mouth and forcing more of his tongue inside. It feels incredible. Noah’s never done this to him, he never liked the idea of it, and Luke was fine with that. He didn’t know what he was missing. But now? Oh, God. Luke doesn’t know how he’ll live without this now that he’s had it.

Reid’s alternating between long, wet licks up Luke’s crack, and pressing his tongue inside, fucking Luke’s ass with just his mouth.

Luke’s whole body is damp with sweat, and flushed red from desire. His cock is leaking onto the sheets below, and he thinks he might even be close to coming, without even touching his cock. He’s never felt this turned on before, and he’s not sure what he wants more; for Reid to keep doing what he’s doing, or to fuck Luke instead.

Reid makes the decision for him, pulling away a moment later and slapping Luke’s cheek lightly as he tears open the condom package and puts it on his dick.

“Turn over,” Reid says, his voice rough, and Luke somehow manages to heave himself around on shaky limbs.

Reid’s panting, his chest moving rapidly. His face is shiny with spit from where he’s had his face buried in Luke’s ass, and Luke groans, throwing an arm across his eyes. It’s too much.

Reid tugs his arm away, forcing him to look, and he sees Reid slick his condom covered cock with a little lube, before coating two fingers and sliding them in Luke’s ass.

He clenches down on them, the fit too tight, and Reid pulls them back out slowly, before sliding just one back in. “So tight,” he says, his voice deeper than Luke’s ever heard it.

“Sorry,” Luke says. “It’s been a while.”

Reid snorts. “Oh yeah,” he says sarcastically. “Please, apologize for being tight.”

Luke blushes at that, and looks up at Reid through his eyelashes.

Reid shakes his head, and leans down for another kiss, his fingers still opening Luke’s ass.

Luke pulls away after a while with a shaky breath, and Reid’s fingers slip out and are replaced by his blunt cock head a moment later. He slides inside in one slow, smooth stroke, and Luke can’t help but clamp down at the intrusion.

“Relax,” Reid whispers against Luke’s ear. “Open up and let me in.”

Luke groans, and takes a deep breath, relaxing his body and bearing down so that Reid can slide inside. He’s big, and Luke feels so full, so deliciously full.

He squeezes his eyes closed, trying to adjust to the feeling, and after a few moments, Reid touches a fingertip to Luke’s forehead, and he opens his eyes.

“You okay?” Reid asks, his voice gentle, and concerned.

Luke nods, his hair scraping against the pillow. “Yeah, yeah, I’m good.”

Reid nods, and pulls out slowly, until just the head of his cock is still inside, the widest part stretching the rim of Luke’s hole, then he slides back in, just as slow and smooth. Luke exhales, and starts moving his hips up, meeting Reid’s strokes, and it stops hurting and starts feeling amazing instead, really, really fast.

Reid kisses him, his body still moving steadily, and Luke smiles into the kiss, darting his tongue out to lick at the sweat on Reid’s upper lip. Reid smiles back, the slight gap between his two front teeth striking Luke as ridiculously cute in that moment, and he laughs a little.

“What’s so funny?” Reid asks, confused, but still smiling.

Luke just shakes his head and slings his arm around Reid’s neck, pulling him back down for another kiss.

Reid’s fucking him faster now, his hips snapping with each thrust. Luke’s panting, he can’t get enough of Reid’s mouth, and his kisses, and he can’t stop touching Reid’s skin, which is silky smooth and damp with sweat. His hair’s damp with it, too. The curls along his hairline are dark and wet, and Luke can’t stop looking, he can’t stop touching.

Reid shifts his angle on his next stroke, and pushes back in, and then Luke’s crying out, because Reid’s cock is raking across his prostate, and Luke’s seeing stars.

Reid pulls out and then thrusts in again, hitting the spot on each stroke. Luke can’t think, he can’t breathe, he’s just a shivering, sweaty mess of sensation, and he’s so worked up, and so horny, it only takes a couple of strokes of Reid’s hand on his cock before he’s coming hard, in thick spurts on his belly. His toes curl, and he feels the orgasm slam through his entire body, and it’s so, so good.

Above him, Reid’s still moving, picking up the pace and fucking into Luke’s ass hard and fast. A few strokes later, he groans loudly as his own orgasm hits him, and then he collapses against Luke’s chest, smearing Luke’s come between them, and burying his face in Luke’s neck, his harsh pants hitting Luke’s collarbone.

They lie there for a few minutes, until their breathing levels out, and then Reid reaches down and holds the end of the condom as he pulls out.

Luke winces a little at the withdrawal, while Reid ties the end of the condom and tosses it somewhere over to the side of the bed.

He collapses on the bed next to Luke, swiping lazily at the remnants of Luke’s orgasm smeared on his chest.

“Well,” he laughs. “That was one hell of a way to get rid of some nervous energy.”

Luke turns his head on the pillow and catches Reid’s eye. His lips twitch, and Reid grins, and a second later, they’re both laughing.

Reid turns on his side, and nudges Luke’s hip until he does the same, then he spoons in against Luke’s back, his legs slotting in behind Luke’s, pulls the sheet up over them both, and falls asleep.

*

When Luke wakes up, he’s momentarily disorientated by the unfamiliar surroundings. Then he remembers. Reid. Kissing. Reid’s _tongue_ in his ass. Sex. Really, really good sex. His ass is a little sore, and he feels sticky and gross, but he also feels warm and safe, tucked in against Reid’s chest, with Reid’s arm wrapped around him.

The room is dim, and Luke guesses a couple of hours have passed. He shifts as carefully as he can, not wanting to wake Reid up. He was up all night and he needs the rest. Luke turns around without dislodging Reid’s arm, and studies his sleeping face. He looks softer than usual, with no frown lines wrinkling his forehead, his mouth lax, and his body relaxed.

Luke smiles, drinking in the sight of him. His hair’s messy from where Luke grabbed it while they were kissing. He’s handsome, and strangely funny, surprisingly human, and brilliant, and Luke’s slept with him. He can hardly believe it himself, but the twinge in his ass tells him it’s true. Luke has never been with anyone except Noah. Until now. But now there’s Reid Oliver. He thought he’d be more freaked out, but he’s not. Maybe he’s just too sated to even contemplate freaking out. His body’s practically humming with contentment, but as he watches Reid sleeping, his dick starts to stir again, wanting him again

Luke sighs and slides closer on the pillow, until his nose nudges Reid’s forehead, and he takes a deep breath, inhaling his scent. Reid stirs, and Luke slides back away, not wanting to wake him up, but it’s too late, and his eyes blink open sleepily, then soften with a smile when he sees Luke. “Hey,” he says quietly.

Luke smiles back. “Hey,” he whispers. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“S’okay,” Reid says, then clears his throat, rousing himself awake. “Hey,” he says again, and leans in for a kiss.

Luke and Reid stare at each other for a while, then smile like a pair of dopes. Luke shakes his head and laughs, and then crawls on top of Reid, flattening him into the mattress and dragging his now hard cock against Reid’s, which has also hardened again.

They kiss, wet and deep, as their hips circle together, their cocks rubbing against each other, and then Luke slithers down, pulling the sheet away as he goes, until Reid’s exposed, and his tight, hard body is on display. Luke licks his lips, then grasps Reid’s erection in his hand, ducking down and licking around the head of his dick a few times before descending and swallowing him in with one long suck.

Reid grunts, and his hips push up off the bed, almost choking him. Luke grabs his hips tightly and pushes him back down against the mattress with a strong grip, and Reid grunts again, but stills, and lets Luke suck him at his own pace.

Luke sets up a steady rhythm, loving the feel of hard cock in his mouth. Reid’s cock is pretty. It’s thick and his skin is flawless, stretched tight around his hardness, and Luke loves the weight of it in his mouth.

Reid’s panting above him, his defined abs quaking with each of his breaths. He grips Luke’s hair in one hand and pushes him off. “Turn around,” he says. “Sixty-nine me.”

Luke groans at the thought. _Just like his story_. Luke scrambles to turn around, his hard-on hovering above Reid’s head. Reid grips him and swallows him down, and Luke’s body shakes with pleasure. Reid makes a sound, his mouth full of Luke’s dick, and humps his hips up a little. Luke takes the hint, and leans forward, swallowing Reid back in, and they set up a delicious rhythm of sucking each other in tandem.

Reid easily takes Luke all the way into his throat, and Luke moans around Reid’s cock in his mouth. He knows he won’t last long, not like this, with Reid’s talented mouth and lack of a gag reflex.

Luke increases the movement of his mouth, wanting to get Reid off first, and he jerks the shaft with a tight grip as his mouth focuses on the head of Reid’s cock, lapping at the pre-come at the tip, and digging his tongue into the slit. Luke massages Reid’s balls with his other hand, and speeds up his strokes, urging Reid to shoot. A moment later, he does, pulling off Luke’s cock with a loud grunt, his body stiffening beneath Luke.

Luke gives him a moment, then wiggles his hips, anxious for his own orgasm. Reid sucks him back in with renewed vigor, his hands massaging Luke’s ass cheeks as he works Luke’s cock. Luke rests on his elbows, his ass push backed as he fucks Reid’s mouth, and it’s not long before he comes too, shooting thick streams down Reid’s throat as he swallows every drop.

Luke collapses, spread eagled, his face pressed against Reid’s thigh as he pants and shivers through aftershocks.

Reid’s hand lands on Luke’s ass with a gentle slap, and he lazily rubs Luke’s cheeks.

Reid’s voice is husky, yet teasing. “This is some view, Mr. Walsh.”

Luke stiffens, and immediately scrambles away, sitting up and drawing the sheet back over them.

“You okay?” Reid asks, a note of concern now in his voice.

“I’m fine,” Luke says. Hearing Reid call him Mr. Walsh, even in a joking way, has thrown a bucket of cold water over him. He leans over the side of the bed and scrabbles around for his underwear, pulling it on, and then his jeans.

“You sure you’re okay?” Reid asks again.

Luke nods. “It’s late,” he says, pointing to the window where the light has faded. “I have to bring the horses in for the night, get them fed and stuff.”

Reid nods. “Okay,” he says. “Come back afterwards and I’ll feed you.”

Luke smiles, despite himself. “I thought you didn’t cook?”

“You’ll just have to wait and see,” Reid smirks.

Luke buttons up his shirt, and swipes a hand through his hair, which is no doubt a total disaster, and hesitates.

Reid sits up and grabs a fistful of Luke’s shirt, dragging him down for a kiss before letting go and falling back against the bed. “Go on,” he says, and Luke nods, closing the bedroom door behind him. He exhales, and sags against the door for a moment before shaking his head. He has horses to look after.

*

Luke gets the horses squared away for the night, and takes a shower, scrubbing away the dried semen flaked on his chest, and washing his hair.

He stares at himself in the mirror while he brushes his teeth, thinking about what needs to be done, then pulls on clean clothes, pausing on the threshold. He has to tell Reid the truth. He can’t lie, not anymore. Not after what they’ve done together. Reid’s gonna be pissed that Luke lied, but he just can’t keep it a secret anymore. He likes Reid too much.

He takes a deep breath, then heads for the house, and knocks on the back door.

“Come in!” Reid calls out, and Luke follows the light down the hallway to the kitchen, where Reid’s assembling a couple of huge sandwiches. He’s showered again, too, his hair’s damp, and he’s wearing a t-shirt and sweatpants. Luke’s never seen him dressed so casually, or seen him this relaxed. He smiles widely when he sees Luke, and Luke smiles back.

“Sandwiches?” Luke asks skeptically.

“You haven’t tried one of _my_ sandwiches,” he says smugly. “They’ll change your life.”

Luke snorts, and pulls out a stool, watching as Reid finishes putting them together.

“Horses all tucked in?”

“Yeah,” Luke says. “I read them a goodnight story and everything.”

Reid snorts, and slaps the top slice of bread on both sandwiches, sliding a plate over to Luke, and then heading for the fridge.

“What do you want to drink?”

“Soda’s fine.”

Reid grabs their drinks then sits next to Luke. “Dig in,” he urges.

Luke picks up his sandwich, and a slice of tomato falls out and lands on the plate. “There’s too much stuff in this,” Luke says, trying to maintain his grip without losing any more fillings.

“Tsk tsk,” Reid says, picking his own sandwich up with a practiced hand, none of his ingredients falling out. He takes a huge bite and moans appreciatively, his jaw working overtime.

Luke takes a smaller bite, and moans too, as the delicious combination of meat and assorted ingredients hits his taste buds.

“It’s good, right?” Reid says, still chewing.

Luke nods and takes another bite, and they polish off the sandwiches in silence, both of them having worked up an appetite during the afternoon. Luke’s face heats up a little and he clears his throat at that thought, taking a pull from his soda can.

Reid clears their plates when they’re done, and suggests a move into the living room. Luke nods, and follows him, settling onto the couch.

Reid sits next to him, and moves in for a kiss, but Luke pulls away.

Hurt flickers across Reid’s face for a brief moment, before he schools his features. “Something wrong?” Reid asks, his voice cautious.

Luke takes a deep breath. “I have to tell you something,” he says. “And you’re not gonna like it.”

Reid’s eyes narrow, and he looks worried, but interested. “O-kay,” he says. “What is it?”

“I— I lied to you,” Luke says. “My name’s not Luke Walsh, it’s Luke Snyder.”

Reid’s eyebrows knit together. “Is that all?”

Luke shakes his head. “I’m not really a stable hand, either,” Luke says. “I run a charitable foundation. And own a shipping company, sort of.”

“And what? You just thought it’d be fun to be a stable boy for the summer?"

“No,” Luke snorts. “It's complicated.”

“Obviously. But if you want to fill me in, I'm all ears.”

Luke bites his lip. “I’m in trouble,” he says. “There are people trying to kill me, trying to hurt my family. I needed to hide out somewhere for a while, and that ended up being here.”

Reid sits back, and folds his arms across his chest. “People are trying to kill you? What do you ship, exactly? Drugs? Guns?”

“I wouldn’t put it past Damian,” he mutters.

Luke takes a deep breath and then he tells Reid about Damian, and the Grimaldi family, and the threats that have been made against Luke. He tells him about Faith almost being mowed down in a hit and run, and the danger to his family, and all because some distant relative of Damian’s wanted revenge. All because of money — Luke’s money that he put into his foundation. He tells Reid about how he took a job with Damian’s shipping company — which was supposed to be legitimate — in an attempt to learn business, but how when it turned out not to be so legitimate after all, Luke left and returned to his Foundation, but then all the trouble started. He tells Reid about his father and grandmother doing all they can to make it safe for Luke to return to Oakdale, and how in the meantime, they decided it was best if Luke left town and disappeared, fell off the Grimaldis’ radar.

“Where the hell _is_ Oakdale, anyway?” Reid asks when Luke’s done.

“Uh, Illinois,” Luke says. “Is that your only question?” Reid looks flabbergasted by all the information, and Luke nervously runs a hand through his hair.

“Are you serious?” Reid says, shaking his head. “Stuff like this only happens in the movies. Have you been diagnosed with schizophrenia? Should I arrange a psych eval for you?”

Luke snorts, and smiles, glad some levity’s been brought back into the heavy conversation. Reid doesn’t look _too_ angry though, more like surprised, and Luke thinks briefly about what Noah’s reaction to him lying would be, how pissed he’d be.

“Great,” Reid mutters. “First time in years I actually like someone and he’s got a price on his head. When did my life become a mob movie? What is this rabbit hole I’ve fallen down?

“It's okay if you want me to go,” Luke says. “I’d understand. Just give me some time to set something else up, and I’ll get out of here.”

Reid shakes his head. “I didn't say I was gonna kick you to the curb. I mean, after that blow job earlier? I’d be crazy.”

Luke ducks his head, not exactly used to discussing blow jobs. Noah thought that sex belonged in the bedroom and shouldn’t be discussed outside of it.

“Besides,” Reid says. “I kind of... think you don’t suck, and I might even care about you. A very little bit.”

“A very little bit?” Luke repeats, amused.

Reid holds up his thumb and forefinger, about half an inch apart, and Luke grins.

“It’s probably best if you just stay here and keep having sex with me,” Reid says sagely. “Instead of going off somewhere and getting killed by the bad guys. You know, for your own safety.”

Luke bites back the smile that’s threatening to engulf his face.

“For my own safety?” Luke repeats.

Reid nods seriously. “I think that’s best.”

Luke grins, unable to hide it anymore. “You’re really not mad at me for lying?”

“Why would I be mad?” Reid looks confused. “You’re in danger, you did what you had to do. And besides, you told me now.” Reid shrugs. “I’m _glad_ you did.”

“I couldn’t lie to you, not after... what we did this afternoon. Not if we’re gong to do it again.” Luke blushes, looking away.

Reid smirks. “Oh, we’re doing it again,” he says. “And again, and again.”

Luke smiles, then bites his lip. “What about Victoria?” Luke asks. “And Juan, and Laura. I don’t want too many people to know the truth about who I am. Not that I don’t trust them, because I do,” Luke hastens to add.

Reid shakes his head. “It’s fine,” he says. “That’s smart. I don’t think there’s any harm in not telling them.”

Luke frowns. “But I hate lying to them,” he says. “I’ve hated it this whole time.”

Reid looks at him for a long moment, then nods once. “It’s safer the less people know, so we’ll keep it between us for now, okay?”

Luke nods. He’s relieved he doesn’t have to lie to Reid anymore, and he just hopes Victoria and the others don’t hold it against him if and when the truth comes out.

“You okay now?” Reid asks, his eyes concerned.

Luke smiles briefly. “Yeah,” he says. “Thanks. For being so understanding.”

Reid shrugs. “I’m an understanding guy,” he says, and Luke snorts disbelievingly.

Reid grins, and drags him close for a kiss, before pulling back. “So, you’re loaded, huh?”

Luke groans and rolls his eyes. “You are so crass, Dr. Oliver.”

Reid just grins again. “And you’re rich, Mr... Snyder. That’s kind of hot.”

“Hotter than being a poor stable hand?”

“Stable hands are pretty hot,” Reid agrees. “But truthfully, I’m actually kind of glad it worked out this way.”

“Really?”

Reid nods. “I’m your boss, or I thought I was. Well, I am, still, I guess. Technically. I’m technically still your boss—”

“You’re babbling,” Luke says, cutting him off.

Reid takes a breath. “I wanted you,” he says. “Almost from the start.”

“You did?”

Reid nods. “But I didn’t want to take advantage of you. You know, employer/employee relationship and all that. This is better,” he says. “We’re equals now.”

“It is better,” Luke agrees, and leans close to place a kiss on Reid’s lips. “But we’re not equal,” he says. “I’m way richer than you.” Luke grins cheekily.

Reid growls angrily, but his smile peeks out anyway as he straddles Luke on the couch, bending down to kiss him deeply.


	6. Chapter 6

Luke’s cell phone alarm beeps the next morning at 6:30 as usual. Luke’s arm shoots out, searching for it in its usual place beside the bed, but doesn’t find it. He opens his eyes, and takes in the surroundings. Oh.

“Turn it off,” Reid groans pitifully from behind him.

“Sorry,” Luke mumbles, and slips out of bed, rifling through the pockets of his jeans until he finds his phone, and switches off the alarm.

“What times’it?” Reid mumbles sleepily.

“Early,” Luke says. “Go back to sleep, it’s your day off.”

“Come back to bed,” Reid says.

“Can’t,” Luke says. “I have to feed Sonny and Storm.”

“No,” Reid pouts, his eyes still closed.

Luke laughs. “Yes,” he says. “They’re your horses, I have to feed them.”

“You’re not even a real stable boy.”

Luke smiles and drops a kiss on Reid’s forehead. “Be that as it may, they still need to be fed, and there’s no one else here to do it.”

Reid moans pitifully, and Luke kisses him again. “Go to sleep,” he says, doing up the final button of his shirt and heading out to the barn.

A few minutes later, he’s just finished measuring out their feed when Reid shows up, two coffee mugs in his hands.

“Hey!” Luke says, surprised. “What are you doing, you should have gone back to sleep.”

Reid shrugs, and holds out the mugs. “I don’t know how you take it, so one has lots of sugar and one only has a little.”

Luke smiles. “I just take a little,” he says.

“Oh good,” Reid says, handing it over. “Because I like it sweet.”

Luke takes a sip of coffee, moaning appreciatively. “You’re sweet, Dr. Oliver,” he says, and Reid rolls his eyes.

“Whatever. Feed my horses, Mr. Snyder.”

Luke bites back a smile and takes another sip before handing the mug back to Reid and getting Sonny and Storm their grain feed and fresh water.

He sits next to Reid on a hay bale, and takes back his mug, leaning sleepily against Reid’s side. They sit there while the horses eat, sipping their coffee in companionable, sleepy silence.

When the horses have finished eating, Luke leads them outside then starts mucking out their stalls while Reid watches.

“Enjoying the view?” Luke asks.

“Mmhmm,” Reid drawls lazily.

“You could help, you know,” Luke huffs.

Reid snorts. “My hands are not meant to perform manual labour,” he says. “These are surgeon’s hands.”

“And these are businessman’s hands,” Luke says. “But I’m not afraid to get a little dirty.”

Reid smirks. “Oh, we can get a little dirty,” he says. “Just you wait.”

Luke chuckles, and finishes his chores, and then he and Reid walk back to the house, and Luke lets Reid drag him into the shower for a quick clean-up before falling back into bed together, Luke tucked back under Reid’s arm.

*

They wake up a couple hours later and eat a lazy breakfast while reading the newspaper, which is delivered to Reid’s door like clockwork every morning.

It’s oddly domestic, since they’ve only been together for one day, but it’s comfortable, too. Luke could get used to this.

“So,” Luke says as he hands over the sports pages. “What do you usually do on a Sunday?”

“Work,” Reid answers, without looking up from the paper.

“No you don’t,” Luke says. “You don’t go to the hospital on Sundays.”

“I work from home, genius,” Reid says. “I read patient files, I work on journal articles...”

“Fine, fine,” Luke says, cutting him off. “But not today, Dr. Oliver. Today, we’re going to have fun.”

“Fun?”

“You’ve heard of fun, right? There has to be some part of your brain that handles that.”

“Yeah, see, a lot of people think that, that there’s a single pleasure center in the brain when in actuality there are several that can be activated by chemicals, electrodes, even rapidly moving images—”

Luke presses his mouth hard against Reid’s, stopping any more doctor babble.

“Stop talking,” he says when he pulls back.

“Okay,” Reid agrees amiably, and dives back in for a deeper kiss.

Luke grins when he pulls back. “Take me out,” he says. “I’ve been stuck here for weeks. I want to see Dallas.”

Reid pulls a face, his displeasure for the idea obvious. “Luke—”

“Nope,” Luke says. “No complaining. We’re going out.”

“I already told you, I have no idea what there is to do in this town.”

“I Googled some stuff,” Luke says. “Leave it to me.”

“I don’t know, Luke,” Reid still looks skeptical. “I have a lot of work...”

“We can go have barbecue, Reid,” Luke says. “ _Barbecue_.”

Reid tilts his head. “Yeah, okay, you got me there. Go get dressed, meet me back here in ten minutes.”

Luke grins, and heads back to his quarters to get changed.

They end up Downtown, and spend a few hours walking around. Reid even agrees to visit the art museum, and surprises Luke by showing a keen interest in the classical European paintings.

“You like this kind of stuff?” Luke asks curiously. He’s more of a Van Gogh fan himself.

Reid shrugs. “It’s pretty amazing,” he says, his eyes sparkling. “What the human brain is capable of producing. I mean, the Sistine Chapel?”

“Have you been?”

Reid shakes his head. “Just seen the pictures.”

“It would be pretty amazing to see for real,” Luke says.

Reid looks at him, and smiles crookedly. “It would,” he agrees. “Maybe someday.”

After the museum, they take a walk along Stone Street Gardens, checking out the various restaurants. They decide to duck into a country and western type bar for a drink, and as soon as they walk in, Luke spots a guy in a black Stetson swinging on top of a mechanical bull.

“Look,” he tells Reid, his eyes lighting up.

Reid snorts. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” he says.

“Yippie Ki Yay.”

Reid snorts again, but when Luke takes a seat at the bar, he gets a little twitchy. “This isn’t really my kind of place,” he says.

“You don’t really have a kind of place, remember,” Luke says. “Just relax, we’re just gonna have a couple of drinks and listen to some music.”

Reid sighs, but orders them a couple of sodas. While he’s busy paying, Luke heads over to the other side of the bar and mounts the mechanical bull.

“Start it up!” Luke says.

Across the bar, Reid’s looking at him with a _what the hell are you doing?_ expression, and Luke grins. The bull starts moving and Luke holds on with one hand while raising his other arm in the air, getting into the swing of the ride.

He grins at Reid from across the room, and when it ends, he jumps down and walks back over to Reid. “And that’s how it’s done,” he says smugly.

Reid rolls his eyes. “Talk about a worthless skill.”

“You couldn’t do it,” Luke mocks.

“I wouldn’t want to do that,” Reid scoffs.

“Whatever makes you feel better,” Luke says, taking a gulp of soda.

“You think I’m scared of that?”

“Those who can, do,” Luke says. “Those who won’t...” Luke clucks like a chicken.

“Okay, I’ll have you know there are specific hand injuries associated with mechanical bull riding, including fracture of the second metacarpal as well as the index finger phalanges due to the extreme torque forces applied to the extremities during the gyrations.”

“Yeah I get it,” Luke concedes. “A hand injury, and you’re a surgeon, I get it.”

“On the other hand,” Reid says, standing up and taking off his jacket. “Pun intended. A man’s got to do what a man’s gotta do.”

Luke smiles. “Wait, Reid. You don’t have to do that.”

“How hard can it be,” Reid says. “You did it. You just get on and ride, right?”

Reid walks over to the bull and swings a leg over it, and suddenly this doesn’t seem silly anymore, it seems kind of crazy smoking hot. Luke can clearly see the wiry muscles in Reid’s thighs through his tight jeans, and as the bull picks up speed, Luke watches Reid’s hips move with the bucking beast, sliding backwards and forwards as he rides, and Luke swallows, his mouth suddenly dry.

Reid’s really getting into it, swinging his arm in the air, with a grin on his face, and when he jumps off and stalks back over to the bar, he’s laughing happily.

“That _was_ fun,” Reid says. “Let’s go again, double or nothing I can beat your time.”

Luke clears his throat.

“Luke?”

“Ah,” Luke swallows. “Let’s go,” he says.

“Why?”

Luke steps close and speaks into Reid’s ear. “Because if I watch you do that again, I’m going to develop a... situation,” Luke says, nodding south.

Reid’s shit-eating grin is huge, and Luke grumbles as Reid chuckles and leads him out of the bar.

They amble down the street and decide on a steakhouse for lunch, and Luke finally gets a taste of authentic Texan barbecue. They walk around afterwards, too full to do much else. It’s nice, both the city, and hanging out with Reid. There are farmer’s markets nearby that look interesting, and Luke makes a note to come back there with Reid some other time.

“What time do you need to be back?” Reid asks. “To feed the horses, or whatever.”

“They’re okay for the afternoon,” Luke says. “They’re out in the pasture. I’ll bring them in for the night around five.”

Reid nods. “Do you... If you want, I can hire someone else to look after them.”

Luke frowns. “No,” he says. “Of course not. I’m perfectly capable of doing the job.”

“Yeah, but it’s not really your job, is it? You’re no more a stable boy than I am.”

“It’s fine,” Luke dismisses him. “I really don’t mind. And besides, how would we explain that to Juan and Victoria?”

“Yeah, that would be tricky.”

“It’s okay,” Luke reiterates. “Really. I love horses. My dad breeds them for a living, and I’ve been helping muck out stalls and stuff since I was a kid.”

“What about your own work?” Reid asks. “You must be bored though, spending your days shoveling horse crap instead of doing your regular job. I can’t even imagine what I’d do without my work. I don’t really have anything else...” Reid looks away, clearly embarrassed.

“I do miss my work,” Luke agrees, squeezing Reid’s hand briefly before letting go. “But it’s good to take a break. And I’m writing again, which is nice.”

“You’re a writer?” Reid’s surprised.

Luke shrugs. “Nah, it’s just a hobby.”

“What kind of stuff do you write?”

>   
> _Lukas moaned and clawed at the ground, dirt getting under his fingernails as he held on for dear life while Jude pounded into him from behind, his knees digging into the earth as they rutted like animals._   
> 

  


Luke’s face heats up, and he clears his throat. “A few different things,” he says. “I wrote a screenplay once. I thought Noah could use it. He was a film major.”

“Ahh, the ex-boyfriend.” Reid’s face is impassive. “That’s a pretty big deal,” he says carefully. “It got made into a film?”

Luke snorts and shakes his head no “Noah’s supervisor didn’t like the script. He thought it sucked,” Luke says. “I kinda think he sucks, actually.”

Reid cocks his head.

“Long story,” Luke says, shaking his head.

Reid shrugs, not pressing any further. “What are you working on now?”

“Nothing important,” Luke says, trying to steer the subject away from his erotic gay romance. “Just getting back into the swing of writing again. We have some really exciting projects in the works with my Foundation though. I can’t wait to get back to those.”

“Well,” Reid says coldly. “With any luck, your... situation will be cleared up soon, and you can go back to your old life.”

Luke frowns, but Reid’s already three steps ahead of him, hurrying back to where they parked the car.

*

When they get back home, Luke flops tiredly onto the couch.

“You wanna watch the game?” Luke asks, nodding at the television.

“I should do some work,” Reid says. “I’ve already wasted most of the day.”

Luke’s eyebrows shoot up. _Wasted most of the day_?

“Um, okay,” Luke says, standing up. “I’ll leave you to it.”

Reid nods.

Luke stuffs his hands into his pockets, hesitating, but Reid says nothing, just goes over to his desk and start rummaging through a stack of papers.

“Seeya later,” Luke says tightly, and heads for the back door. Back in his own quarters, Luke slumps down at his own desk, wondering just what the hell went wrong. They’d been having a great time, or so Luke thought.

  


> Lukas had just returned from his daily meeting with Jude when Noah appeared as if from nowhere and grabbed his arm, dragging him away from the stable block.
> 
> “What are you doing?” Lukas cried. “Let go of me!”
> 
> It was only when they were out of earshot from the other men did Noah release him. Lukas rubbed his arm, sore from Noah’s manhandling.
> 
> “I saw you!” Noah hissed, his eyes narrowed fury. “I saw you with Mr. Lovell!”
> 
> Lukas’s heart hammered in his chest, but he attempted to appear calm, and not give Noah further ammunition. “What do you think you saw, Noah?”
> 
> “I _know_ what I saw!” Noah spat. “I saw you and him... rutting together, like a pair of dogs. It was disgusting!”
> 
> “Lower your voice!” Lukas hissed.
> 
> “Why?” Noah sneered. “Scared the others’ll hear what you been up to?”
> 
> Lukas took a deep breath. “How did you even see us, Noah? Were you following me?”
> 
> “I had to, didn’t I,” Noah said. “You been walking around here for weeks now with that silly smile on your face, disappearin’ every day. You thought no one noticed, didn’t ya, but I did.”
> 
> “Have you been spying on me?” Lukas hissed, his anger rising.
> 
> Noah said nothing, and Lukas knew his silence was an admission of guilt.
> 
> “You’re _married_ now, Noah. Married! What I do and who I do it with is none of your concern, do you hear me?”
> 
> Noah squinted furiously. “I bet there’s others who’d find this bit of news interestin’. Like Winston, for one. You know how he feels about your kind.”
> 
> Lukas’s eyes widened in fear. One of Mr. Winston’s favorite tales to tell after a few ales was of the time he and a mob of other men had beaten a man almost to death outside a molly house in London. They’d gone there looking for trouble, and made sure they found it. His feelings on the subject of buggers was well known, and caused Lukas to cringe just thinking about it.
> 
> “Or maybe I won’t tell Winston about you two,” Noah said, changing tactics. “Maybe I’ll tell the master about his son, eh. I’m sure Mr. Lovell would like to know what sort of filth his son gets up to with the servants. I’ll bet he’ll have him sent away quick sticks.”
> 
> “No!” Lukas cried. “Please, Noah. Why can’t you just leave us be. You have Madeleine, you have your own family now, just like you wanted. Why do you want to destroy what Jude and I have?”
> 
> “Oh it’s _Jude_ is it,” Noah scoffed. “Bleedin’ Nancy boy.”
> 
> “Why are you doing this, Noah?” Luke asked. “What do you want from me?”
> 
> Noah’s face softened then, and took on a more kindly appearance.
> 
> “Lukas, I don’t mean to cause you pain,” Noah said. “Truly I don’t. It’s just that... he’s not right for you, Lukas, he doesn’t care for you like I do.”
> 
> “What?” Lukas asked, flabbergasted. “You don’t care for me, Noah, not anymore. I truly don’t know if you ever did.”
> 
> “Of course I did,” Noah said. “I still do! I care for you a great deal.”
> 
> “You’re _married_ , Noah.”
> 
> “But I miss you, Lukas. I miss your... touch. I miss our times together. They were so special to me. And to you. You told me you loved me, Lukas. Were you lying?”
> 
> “How dare you question my love, Noah!” Lukas was furious. “And why wait until now? Why wait until I’ve found happiness with someone else. You didn’t want me, and now that I’ve found someone who does, you’re trying to ruin this for me!”
> 
> “It doesn’t have to be this way, Lukas,” Noah pleaded. “Just say it’s not too late for us, that we can be together again, and I won’t breathe a word about you and Jude to anyone, I swear!”
> 
> Lukas’s head was spinning. He did not know what to think, or what to say to Noah. He had to protect Jude, that much was certain, but he also knew he could never return to Noah. His heart belonged to Jude.
> 
> “Just... just give me some time to think, Noah,” Lukas said. “Please, just a few days, and promise me you won’t say anything to anyone. Please, Noah.”
> 
> Noah sighed, then nodded. “Two days, Lukas, then you must give me your decision.”
> 
> Lukas nodded, grateful that he had been able to buy some time. He needed to speak to Jude, but he would have no opportunity to do so until the following morning. With a heavy heart, he returned to work, and did not get a wink of sleep that night, his mind turning over the impossible situation he was now in.

  


Victoria and Juan arrive at work together on Monday, around mid-morning. Luke goes out to the driveway to greet them.

“Hey,” he says. “How’s Annie doing? Reid told me he admitted her to hospital.”

Victoria smiles tiredly, and pats his cheek. “She’s okay, mijo,” Victoria says. “We just saw her. No change yet. They’re going to increase her radiation treatments.”

Luke nods. “Let me know if I can do anything to help,” he says.

Victoria smiles again, and heads inside as Juan gets started on trimming the bushes lining the driveway.

They look sad, and tired, and Luke feels a pang of sympathy for them both.

*

When Reid arrives home that night, Luke hesitates, wondering if he should go over to the house or not. After yesterday, he’s not sure what Reid’s thinking, but he’s gotten more than a little angry as they day has gone on, wondering why Reid dismissed him like that last night, and wondering why the hell he didn’t give Victoria and Juan the day off. Their only grandchild is in hospital and apparently all he cares about is making sure his house and garden are being looked after.

Luke knocks loudly on the back door, and after a few minutes, Reid opens up, rubbing a hand tiredly across his face. He holds the door open, and Luke slips past him, following the light to the kitchen.

“How’s Annie?”

“No change.”

Luke nods. “What the hell’s going on, Reid?”

“What do you mean?”

“You know what I mean,” he says. “What’s with the attitude? We were having a great time yesterday and then you kicked me out. And then today, poor Juan and Victoria are here doing your laundry and cleaning your house and looking after your stupid garden that you don’t even care about because you never even go out there. You could have given them the week off, their granddaughter’s in hospital but heaven forbid you don’t have your stupid pantry organized properly! Because God knows, Reid, that if your cans are out of place, it’s the end of the world!” Luke’s breathing hard, kind of horrified at what’s poured out of him, but too pissed to care right now.

“Are you done?” Red asks calmly, which only serves to piss Luke off more.

“Yeah, I’m done,” Luke spits. “Do you have anything to say for yourself?”

“Yes, I do,” Reid says. “First of all, I offered Juan and Victoria some time off. They declined, they said they’d rather stick to their regular routine for now, but if Annie starts to deteriorate, they’ll take time off then.”

“Oh,” Luke says, his sails deflating a little. “I didn’t know that.”

“No you didn’t,” Reid says. “But you jumped to conclusions anyway.”

“Well, what am I supposed to think, Reid? You clearly don’t care about this house, or the gardens, yet you have two people on your payroll just to what? Give you an excuse to throw your money around? Play Lord of the manor? I don’t understand you, Reid.”

“Not that it’s _any_ of your business, Mr. Walsh, oops, I mean Mr. Snyder, but I never wanted any servants on my payroll. They came with the house, okay. I was going to fire them when I moved in but it soon became clear to me that I’d be affecting their livelihood, as well as the livelihood of Victoria’s mother, who is still in Mexico by the way, and who Victoria sends money to every month, if I fired them. So yeah, I keep them on my payroll, even though, as you pointed out, I really don’t give a damn about whether the hedges are trimmed or not, but Juan needs something to do, right? Or am I supposed to make him feel like a charity case, too? And yeah, there’s hardly any furniture in here, and I’m not exactly house proud, but Victoria needs something to do, so I have her cook for me and do my laundry, and sometimes I have a bad day at work and I come home and I take it out on her, but you know what? She doesn’t mind. She understands me, even if _you_ don’t, Mr. Snyder.”

Reid’s eyes are hard as flint, and his lips are pressed into a thin line. He’s angry, and Luke can’t really blame him. Hell, Luke’s angry at himself. He let himself get worked up all day and then took it out on Reid when he came home. The irony’s not lost on him. He basically just accused Reid of treating Victoria the same way.

“I’m sorry,” Luke says. “You’re right, I jumped to conclusions, and I had no right to say those things to you. I am sorry.”

“Let’s just forget it,” Reid says, and opens the fridge, staring at the shelves but not taking anything out.

Luke sighs. “I’m sorry, Reid. I just, I guess I was angry about yesterday, and then today I let myself stew. I overreacted.”

Reid’s still staring into the open fridge, and Luke sighs. “I guess I’ll go.”

“Why were you angry?” Reid asks. “About yesterday?”

Luke frowns. “Uh, because you basically told me you’d wasted your time by hanging out with me, then kicked me out when we got back.”

Reid closes the fridge and turns back to face Luke. “You’re the one who can’t wait to get back to your old life,” he says. “I just didn’t see the point in getting... closer, if you’re just going to leave again soon anyway.”

“I never said I couldn’t wait to get back— wait, what are you talking about?”

“Yesterday,” Reid says. “You said you couldn’t wait to get back to your Foundation.”

“Well, yeah,” Luke says slowly. “We do a lot of good work, and I want to pick up my projects again, but that doesn’t mean that I’m not enjoying the time we spend together, or that I want it to end.”

“You don’t?”

“No!” Luke says. “Of course not. Look, you don’t know me that well, but I uh, I don’t exactly jump into bed with guys I don’t like. A lot.”

“You don’t?”

Luke shakes his head. “Before you, I’d never been with anyone except Noah.”

Reid’s eyes widen. “Oh,” he says.

“Look,” Luke says. “I like you. Or at least, I like you when you’re not trying so hard to be a jerk.”

“Who says I have to try?”

“ _Reid_ ,” he scolds.

“Yeah, okay,” Reid says, rubbing his eyes. “I guess I overreacted too.”

“You were being obnoxious!” Luke laughs.

Reid smiles briefly. “I’m good at that.”

“So,” Luke says. “Am I forgiven?”

Reid nods, and holds out his hand. Relieved, Luke takes it and lets Reid pull him close. They kiss chastely, and Luke smiles against Reid’s mouth.

“I had a great time with you yesterday,” he says.

Reid flashes one of his quick smiles. “I did too,” he says. “It uh, kind of scared me how much, actually. Which is probably why I overreacted.”

“Really?” Luke grins.

Reid rolls his eyes. “It was one of the best days I think I’ve ever had,” he says. “Which is pathetic, to use your word, I know.”

Luke smiles again. “It’s not pathetic,” he says softly.

Reid’s eyes go soft. “You wanna stay for dinner?”

Luke nods, and Reid presses a kiss to his forehead before reaching for the phone.

“Pizza?” Reid asks. “And I Tivo-ed the game, we can watch it, if you want.”

Luke nods, and as Reid places the order, he can’t help but be grateful the fight’s over, almost as soon as it began.

*  
The next week or so passes without any drama. Luke does his thing during the day, feeding, riding and grooming the boys, and getting a little writing done, and Reid makes it home in time for dinner every night.

Annie’s latest scans are done on Friday, and the news is good. When Reid gets home he tells Luke that he’s hopeful he can operate in a couple weeks, provided they keep shrinking at the current rate. Reid’s giddy at the news, and his enthusiasm is infectious. Luke hugs him and laughs happily, sharing his good mood.

“We should go out and celebrate!” Luke says.

“It’s a little early to celebrate,” Reid says. “I haven’t operated yet.”

“Oh come on Reid,” Luke chides. “Life is short, have some fun!”

A second later, Reid’s mouth is pressing firmly against his own, his palms warm against Luke’s cheeks. Almost as soon as it began, the kiss ends, and then Reid’s staring at him with those soft eyes, and Luke’s insides do a little flip.

“All right,” Reid says, thumbing the cleft in Luke’s chin. “Let’s celebrate. What did you have in mind?”

Luke’s suddenly torn between his desire to go out, and his desire to just throw Reid down on the couch and indulge in more of the crazy good sex they’ve been having all week. He shakes his head. There will be time for that later. Luke wracks his brain, trying to decide where they should go, and then it hits him.

“It’s a surprise, Dr. Oliver,” he grins. “Give me five minutes, I just need to get some directions off the internet, then we can go.”

*

“You have got to be kidding me,” Reid grumbles when they pull up at _I Can’t Believe It’s Not Gutter_. “Bowling?”

Luke grins. “It’ll be fun!”

“Unlikely,” Reid mutters under his breath as they head inside. When Reid realizes he has to put his feet into rental shoes, he pitches a fit, and Luke has to promise they can go straight home and shower afterwards, as well as agree to perform a sexual favor of Reid’s choice just to get him to stay. But when they finally get started, Reid turns out to be a natural, bowling strike after strike, much to Luke’s mounting annoyance.

“Is there a game you’re not good at?” Luke grumbles. “Chess, bowling... do you play golf? I bet you’re great at golf!”

Reid grins. “I’ve never played, I’m usually a little too busy performing life-saving brain surgery. I leave golf to the pediatricians and dermatologists.”

Luke rolls his eyes and takes his turn, bowling into the gutter as Reid cackles behind him.

“You suck,” he says gleefully.

“You’re throwing me off,” Luke says. “Your competitiveness is really unattractive, Dr. Oliver.”

Reid sidles up to him, looking ridiculously proud of himself. “As long as I don’t _turn_ you off, Mr. Snyder,” he says, wrapping his arms around Luke’s waist. “It’s all good.”

Reid slaps his ass, then releases him, and goes for his next ball. Luke looks around, wondering if anyone saw them. Sure, Luke and Noah had kissed in public, but that was in Oakdale, where everyone knew them. Dallas is a pretty liberal city, but it’s still Texas, and Luke’s not sure how well PDA between two guys goes down here.

No one seems to be paying them any attention though, and Luke watches as Reid bowls another strike, and crows about his victory. Luke just shakes his head and smiles, too happy that Reid’s having fun to be truly annoyed. They eat greasy pizza for dinner and Reid drinks beer from a paper cup, and when they walk back to the car afterwards, Reid throws an arm around Luke’s shoulders and pulls him close. Luke can’t keep the grin off his face.


	7. Chapter 7

When Luke’s alarm beeps the next morning, he slaps a hand out to the bedside table and switches it off.

Reid mumbles something and shifts behind him, pressing his morning hard-on against Luke’s ass. Luke turns over under the arm draped over him, and faces Reid.

“Morning,” Luke says.

Reid’s eyes blink open, then close again. “Morning.”

“You going to the hospital today?”

Reid had mentioned something about it last night.

Reid exhales, then opens his eyes, forcing himself awake. “Yeah, I’ll go in this morning, then we can do something together later.”

Luke smiles. “Cool,” he says. “Can I come with you though? I want to visit Annie.”

Reid rubs his cheek against the pillow. “Sure,” he says. “She’d probably like that.”

“K,” Luke says, dropping a kiss on Reid’s cheek. “I’ll go do my thing and meet you back here in a little bit.”

Reid nods, and closes his eyes again as Luke pulls on his clothes and heads to the barn.

They get to the hospital just after nine, and Luke pauses by the gift shop in the lobby. “Wait, I want to get her something,” he says.

Reid rolls his eyes. “Make it snappy,” he says impatiently. “I have rounds.” But when Luke's at the stuffed animal section, hesitating between a pink teddy bear and brown one, it’s Reid who reaches to the shelf above and plucks down a horse instead. “This is better,” he says.

The horse is brown and has white markings on its nose, just like Storm, and Luke grins. “It’s perfect,” he says, and heads for the cashier.

Reid takes him up to the fifth floor where pediatrics is located. Annie’s in room 511, and when they walk in, she’s sitting up in bed, a breakfast tray in front of her. Laura and Victoria are sitting on a couple of chairs by her bed.

“Luke!” Annie says when she sees them. “What are _you_ doing here?”

“I came to see _you_!” Luke says. “And I had this little guy here who needed a home. You interested?”

Luke holds out the stuffed horse, and Annie’s eyes light up. “It looks like Storm!”

Luke nods. “Since you can’t come out and see the horses right now, I thought he could keep you company until you’re better.”

“Thanks, Luke!” Annie says, then turns to Laura. “Look, Mommy! Look what Luke brought me!”

Laura smiles, and stands up, brushing a hand across Annie’s head. “I see it, baby,” she says. “It’s great. Thank you, Luke.”

Luke grins. “You’re welcome,” he says, then can’t resist adding, “Dr. Reid picked it out.”

Luke can practically _feel_ Reid scowling behind him, and his grin widens.

“Thank you, Dr. Reid!” Annie cries, and Luke sees Laura and Victoria exchange amused glances.

“You’re welcome, Annie,” Reid says, and his tone of voice tells Luke that he’ll be paying for that later.

Luke grins again. He can’t wait.

“I have to check on my patient,” Reid says. “Why don’t you step out for a minute, Luke.”

Luke nods, and goes to wait in the hallway while Reid performs the examination. A few minutes later Reid walks out and closes the door behind him.

“You couldn’t keep your mouth shut, could you,” Reid mock glares.

Luke grins, then looks up coyly through his eyelashes. “I thought you liked my big mouth,” he says.

Reid groans, and shifts the clipboard he’s holding in front of his groin.

Luke laughs. “Oh give up, Dr. Oliver. Everyone in that room knows you’re a softie underneath it all.”

Reid glares at him in what Luke supposes is meant to be a threatening manner, then smacks a kiss on his mouth and lightly slaps Luke’s cheek.

Luke can’t hold back his smile, and his insides flutter.

“Give me 45 minutes or so,” Reid says. “I’ll come back and get you.”

Luke nods, and watches Reid saunter down the hall. He’d stopped in at a locker room on their way up to Annie’s room and had come out wearing a lab coat, with a stethoscope around his neck, and Luke’s gotta admit, he looks damn good in it. Doctorly. Important. Commanding. His mind starts wandering toward a scenario where they play doctor, then he shakes himself out of it. Now’s not the time. He’s pretty sure Reid would be amenable to the idea though, and he tucks it away for later.

When he opens the door to Annie’s room, Victoria gives him a knowing smile, and Luke ducks his head, focusing on Annie instead. She doesn’t look great, Luke’s sad to realize. Her skin’s got a gray pallor, and the increased doses of radiation have made her hair start to thin and fall out in sections, but she has a pink and purple Hannah Montana bandanna wrapped around what’s left of it, and she’s got a smile on her face, and is clutching tightly to the horse.

“Sonny and Storm miss you!” Luke tells her as he sits on the side of the bed.

She sighs dramatically. “I miss them too,” she says. “I wish Dr. Reid would hurry up and get these stupid tumors out of my brain so I can visit them again!”

Luke smothers his smile. She sounds like she’s channeling Reid, and it’s pretty damn adorable.

“It’s so boring in here!” Annie says, a pout on her face.

“Hmm,” Luke thinks. “Got some paper and a pen?”

Annie nods, and says, “Mommy?” Laura rummages around in a bag by Annie’s bed, and pulls out a notepad and a few crayons.

“Want to play tic-tac-toe?” Luke asks.

“Yes!” Annie says, a huge smile on her face.

Luke draws up a few grid lines and they play for a while. Luke makes sure he wins the occasional game, so Annie doesn’t suspect him of losing on purpose, but she’s pretty quick, and actually gets the best of him a couple times anyway.

“I’m _so_ bad at games!” Luke says, shaking his head despondently. “Dr. Reid always beats me at chess, and last night he beat me at bowling, and now you’re beating me at tic-tac-toe. It’s not fair!”

Annie giggles. “Dr. Reid’s good at everything!”

Luke nods sadly. “You guys are just too smart for me,” he says.

Annie giggles again, but then she loses her smile, and starts to shift uncomfortably on the bed.

“Breakfast coming back up, baby?” Laura asks quietly. Annie nods, and Laura grabs a stainless steel medical tray from beside the bed. “You might want to wait outside for a few minutes, Luke,” she says, and Luke stands up, hovering by the bed.

“Come on, mijo,” Victoria says, and takes Luke’s arm, letting him lead her out. They close the door behind them. “It’s the radiation,” Victoria says, nodding at the closed door. “Whatever she eats comes straight back up.”

Luke wrinkles his nose. “Poor thing,” he says. “But Reid said he might be ready to operate soon. That’s good news, right?”

Victoria smiles and pats his cheek. “Very good news,” she agrees. “So, you and Dr. Oliver, huh?”

Luke blushes, strangely embarrassed for some reason.

“No no, it’s good, mijo,” she says. “You took him bowling?”

“Yeah,” Luke laughs. “You should have seen him freaking out about the rental shoes.”

Victoria laughs. “I can just imagine!”

Luke grins. “You were right,” he tells her. “About Reid. He is a good man underneath it all.”

Victoria nods. “I think you two will be good for each other,” she says.

Luke shrugs, thinking about Oakdale, and his life there, and all the things Victoria doesn’t know about him. “We’ll see,” he says. “I like him, but things are complicated.”

“Only if you make them complicated, mijo,” Victoria says, then opens the door and sticks her head in the room. “All done?”

“Yeah, come in,” Laura calls out, and they take up their former positions, Victoria in an easy chair and Luke sitting on the edge of Annie’s bed. She’s a little shaky, and her mouth is wet from a quick post-vomit clean-up, but she’s still smiling, and when she says she wants to play another game of tic-tac-toe, Luke’s powerless to say no.

*

“I have to take Sonny out for some exercise,” Luke says later that afternoon, back at the house.

“Have fun with that.”

“You could come with me?” Luke asks hopefully.

“And do what? Watch?”

“You could ride Storm.” Luke’s been thinking about it ever since Reid rode that mechanical bull. Remembering how Reid had held on tightly with his thighs, the way his hips had circled around and around, the way he’d bucked up and down...

Reid laughs, but when Luke doesn’t join in, he stops. “Are you actually serious?”

“Yes,” Luke says, annoyed. “Why not?”

“Why not?” Reid says incredulously. “Do you know how dangerous that is? I can’t risk damaging my hands.”

“You won’t damage them unless you fall off.”

“Oh, why didn’t you say that earlier. I had no idea. Sure, saddle me up.”

“You don’t have to be a jerk about it.”

“Sure I do,” Reid says. “It’s who I am.”

“Fine. Stay here.”

“Will do,” Reid says cheerfully.

Luke scowls as he heads to the barn. “I forgot he could be such a jerk,” Luke tells Sonny as he begins saddling him up. “I don’t know _how_ I could forget that, but I guess I just got a little carried away because this week’s been so great, you know?”

Sonny blows gently.

Luke sighs. “I can’t really blame him for not wanting to go riding, I guess. He _does_ have to look after his hands.”

Luke mounts Sonny and they walk toward the open gate of the pasture. Luke had been picturing them riding side by side, the wind in their hair and the sun on their faces. Luke rolls his eyes. His gay romance story is warping his brain.

They trot for a while, then Luke shifts Sonny up to a gallop, and they tear around the pasture for the last few minutes. When they get back to the barn, Reid’s there, waiting, with a cold bottle of water for Luke.

“Thanks,” Luke says cautiously, and Reid nods.

Luke takes Sonny into the barn and starts removing the saddle while Reid watches. “I have to groom him,” Luke says.

Reid just nods again, and watches as Luke puts away the saddle and gets out the brushes.

“Show me how,” Reid says.

“Really?”

Reid shrugs. “I can’t hurt myself brushing him can I.” He pauses. “Wait, Can I?”

Luke snorts and hands him a curry comb. “Just do what I do,” he says.

They groom Sonny in silence for a few minutes, and Reid even starts to look as though he’s enjoying it.

“Nice horse I’ve got here,” he says.

“He’s a beautiful boy,” Luke says. “Aren’t you, boy?”

Sonny whinnies in response, and they both laugh.

“Storm is too,” Luke says. “They’re great animals.”

They keep brushing, and after a few minutes Luke says. “It was a generous thing you did, Reid. Buying the horses for Annie like that. Most people wouldn’t care that much, or go to the expense.”

Reid shrugs. “I have plenty of money,” he says. “What else am I going to spend it on.”

“It was a good thing anyway,” Luke says. “You don’t even like horses.”

“I might be coming around,” Reid says.

Luke catches Reid’s eye and he shrugs one shoulder and gives Luke a crooked smile.

As they walk back to the house after, Reid reaches for his hand, and Luke lets him take it.

*

The rest of the weekend is nothing but food and sex. By Sunday night Luke’s feeling a little saddle sore, and not from horse riding.

“Oh God,” Luke mutters as Reid comes up behind him at the stove where he’s making eggs and starts nuzzling his neck. “No more. Go away.”

Reid chuckles and grips Luke’s hips in his hands. He starts placing kisses along Luke’s neck, just below his jawline, and then trailing them down his throat. Luke’s dick is starting to fatten up, despite his body screaming out that it needs a break.

“Stop it,” Luke says, tilting his head to give Reid better access. Reid chuckles again, and starts sucking at a patch of skin, and Luke moans quietly, reaching one hand back to grip Reid’s hair and hold him in place.

He pulls back after a moment and makes a pleased sound, no doubt admiring the hickey he’s just made. Luke exhales shakily. He’s hard, and he can feel that Reid’s hard too, and when Reid slides his hand into the waistband of Luke’s boxer shorts and grips his dick, it takes every bit of Luke’s willpower to push him away.

“I can’t,” he says regretfully. “My ass is too sore.”

Reid shrugs, and slips his hand back down Luke’s pants. “There’s nothing wrong with my ass.”

Luke blinks.

Reid turns the burner off under the frying pan and spins Luke around, pulling him close and nuzzling at his neck again.

Luke slides his hands around to Reid’s ass, resting a palm on each cheek. His heart is kick-hammering in his chest, and his insides are feeling a little fluttery. He hasn’t thought about this even once, but now, with Reid’s hard-on rubbing against his own, and Reid’s gorgeous, firm ass under his hands, he can picture it, and it makes his dick leak a little in excitement.

“Ride me,” Luke says, and his voice is so low and husky he doesn’t even recognize it.

Reid pulls his mouth away from where it’s latched against Luke’s throat, and meets Luke’s eyes.

“I want you to ride me,” Luke says again.

Reid smirks. “Unusual, but sure, whatever you want, Cowboy. Giddy up!”

It should be cheesy, hell, Reid _meant_ for it to be cheesy, but Luke can’t stop picturing how Reid rode that mechanical bull, and how badly he’d wanted Reid to go horse riding with him, when he should have been picturing _this_ instead. This is way, way better.

Luke lunges at Reid’s mouth, shoving his tongue inside and kissing him hard. Reid grunts, and kisses him back, then pulls away long enough to suck Luke’s lower lip into his mouth, and bite it just hard enough to make Luke’s dick twitch.

“Bedroom,” Reid says. The couch is closer, and they’ve done it on there enough times in the past week that they’ve started to leave lube and condoms in the drawer of the coffee table, but they won’t really have room for the position Luke wants there, so Luke lets Reid lead him to the bedroom, then tug down his pants while Luke pulls his own t-shirt over his head.

Luke stretches out on the bed, and his dick is so hard it’s almost touching his stomach.

Reid smirks and starts taking off his own clothes, and Luke licks his lips almost subconsciously.

When he’s naked, Reid crawls on top of the bed and straddles Luke’s thighs, sitting back and waiting, letting Luke make the first move.

Luke’s not sure where to start. He’s topped Noah in the past, but never in this position, and besides, having sex with Noah’s the last thing Luke wants to be thinking about right now.

Luke reaches a hand up and rests it against Reid’s chest, feeling the strong beat of his heart. He smiles, and trails a fingertip around Reid’s pecs, then down his sternum until he reaches Reid’s bellybutton, then pauses.

Reid seems to sense Luke’s uncertainty, and he takes charge. He reaches for the lube and unscrews the cap, squeezing a little onto his fingers and then reaching behind himself.

Luke’s eyes widen. He studies Reid’s face as he works his own fingers into his ass, grunting at the initial intrusion, and then moaning a little as he stretches himself open.

Luke watches every flicker of Reid’s eyes, the way he bites his lip, and the muscles in his arm work as he fingers himself, and it’s one of the hottest things Luke’s ever seen.

When he’s done, he wipes his fingers off on the sheet and tosses Luke a condom.

Luke’s hands are shaking so much he can barely get the packet open. When he finally does, and rolls it onto himself, Reid doesn’t waste any time. He lines himself up, and rubs the head of Luke’s cock against his hole a few times, smearing the slick of lube before sinking down slowly, until the head breeches his sphincter, and then he keeps sliding down, inch by inch until he’s sitting down. It feels incredible, tight and hot, and the look of awe on Reid’s face just adds to the experience.

Luke’s thighs are trembling, and he’s so excited he feels like he’s coming out of his skin. Reid’s abs are quivering, and his breaths are coming in quick pants. Luke wonders how often he bottoms, and if this is uncomfortable for him, but he quickly puts the thought out of his mind, deciding he doesn’t really want to think about Reid having sex with other men.

“You okay?” Luke whispers.

Reid nods, his hands resting on Luke’s pecs. He starts to run his fingers through Luke’s chest hair, tugging it a little and rubbing Luke’s nipples into hard little peaks. His hands are soft, and they make Luke’s skin tingle. It feels good, and Luke moans, his hips rolling up automatically. Reid grunts above him, and Luke freezes, apologizing, but Reid circles his own hips and settles into a slow grind on Luke’s lap. He’s ridiculously tight on Luke’s dick, and the heat of him, the sight of him on top like this, has made Luke’s mouth go dry.

After a few moments, Reid leans forward and grips Luke’s shoulders, then he starts to rise off Luke’s dick just as slowly as he slid down it. When just the head of Luke’s dick is still inside, he slides back down. Then he does it again, and again.

Luke squeezes his eyes closed, concentrating on how tight and how good Reid feels, and then Reid makes a low, growling sound in his throat and Luke’s eyes shoot open. He doesn’t want to miss any of this. Reid’s face is a picture of concentration. He’s gritting his teeth together, and he has that look of fierce determination on his face that Luke’s only ever seen when he’s talking about medicine, or planning his next chess move.

Reid picks up speed, and starts riding Luke in earnest, his cock bouncing with the movement, as tiny strings of pre-come drip from the tip.

Luke runs his hands up Reid’s thighs, feeling the muscles work as he rides. It’s incredibly hot, and Luke’s glad he just has to lie here and let Reid do all the work, because he’s not sure he has any higher brain capacity right now other than, Reid. Sexy. Riding. Good.

Reid shifts a little on the next stroke, and then again, and when he grunts a moment later, and his thighs quiver under Luke’s hands, Luke knows his cock just found Reid’s prostate, and that it must be pretty intense for him at an angle this deep.

“Come on, Reid,” Luke urges, and Reid bends down to kiss him, slipping his tongue inside Luke’s mouth.

Reid rests his sweaty forehead against Luke’s and his harsh breaths hit Luke’s lips as Reid keeps rising and falling. Luke takes hold of Reid’s erection and starts to jerk him off, the sweat and pre-come giving him just enough lube for really good friction. Reid squeezes his eyes closed a second later, and then grunts, pulsing warm come all over Luke’s fist. Hiss ass tightens up even more on Luke’s dick, clamping down, and Luke cries out as his own orgasm slams into him like a ton of bricks.

Luke’s boneless against the mattress, and he’s only vaguely aware of Reid climbing off him and getting rid of the condom. When he starts wiping at the pool of come on Luke’s stomach with the towel they’ve taken to keeping by the bed, Luke snaps out of his stupor long enough to take it from him, and clean himself up, letting Reid flop tiredly down onto the bed.

Luke tosses the towel on the floor when he’s done, and slides into his usual place against Reid’s chest.

Reid presses a kiss into the sweaty hair at the back of Luke’s neck, and is asleep in seconds. Luke follows soon after, a huge smile on his face.

*

Another week passes, and things with Reid are good. Better than good. They spend every night together, and the sex just gets better and better. They even get around to having that cooking lesson, and Luke’s sure the chili would have turned out great if they hadn’t gotten carried away and left it on the stove to go have a quickie on the couch. Luke took the badly burned pot back to his quarters to soak, not wanting Victoria to see it and ask questions. Reid had just laughed at him.

Luke goes into the hospital with Reid again on Friday morning to visit Annie, and then rides back to the house with Victoria afterwards.

“Dr. Oliver says he can operate next week,” she tells him. “The tumors are small enough now.”

“That’s great!”

Victoria nods. “We’re very relieved, mijo,” she says. “She’s scheduled for surgery first thing Monday morning.”

“She’s going to be fine,” Luke tells her. “Reid’s the best.”

Victoria nods again, and smiles. “Things are going good between you two?”

Luke blushes, and he can’t keep the grin off his face.

“That good, huh?” Victoria chuckles. “I believe Dr. Oliver feels the same way.”

“What makes you say that?” Luke asks.

“I do clean the house, mijo. I notice things.”

Luke tilts his head, wondering what she means, and then it hits him. She’s seen their stash of lube and condoms in the coffee table. Luke’s face goes red, and he stares out of the passenger-side window. “Sorry about that,” Luke says.

“Pssh,” Victoria waves a hand dismissively. “You’re grown men.”

“I— I guess you’re used to seeing stuff like that though,” Luke says cautiously. “You’ve worked for Reid for a couple years now.”

“Are you loco, mijo?” Victoria asks incredulously. “If Dr. Oliver brought any men home, I never saw any evidence.”

“Really?” Luke can’t help but smile.

“I’m not saying there was no one, mijo,” she says. “Because I don’t know. But there was no one regular. No one he liked, not the way he likes you.”

Luke grins.

“And besides,” Victoria goes on. “It's good. I don’t have to cook so much anymore, I noticed the freezer was still full.”

“Oh!” Luke says. “Sorry, Victoria. I’ve been cooking for us, I like to, but I can stop...”

Victoria laughs. “It’s okay, mijo,” she says, taking one hand off the wheel to pat his leg. “He’s coming home in time for dinner these days. That’s good for him, and for you.”

“You really think he likes me that much?” Luke grins.

“He’s loco about you,” Victoria says so matter of factly that Luke can’t keep the pleased grin off his face the rest of the way back home.

*

Luke and Reid go to the farmer’s market on Sunday morning to buy fresh fruit and bread for brunch. There are flower vendors next door, and Luke decides to get a few bunches. His mom always has fresh flowers at home, and Luke likes the way they cheer the place up.

Reid rolls his eyes as Luke spends a few minutes trying to decide between the daisies and the irises, then just grabs them both from him and hands over a twenty, steering them back towards where the car is parked.

“We were gonna be there all day at that rate,” he mumbles. “Why can’t you ever just make a quick decision?”

“It’s not in my nature,” Luke says easily. “You just bought me flowers, Dr. Oliver.” Luke’s grin is enormous, and it only gets bigger as Reid mutters something unintelligible under his breath, but takes Luke’s hand anyway as they walk to the car.

*

Luke’s in his bathroom later that afternoon, having a quick shower after mucking out the stalls and taking Sonny out for a ride, when his cell phone rings.

Luke jumps, dropping the tube of gel he was about to open and work through his hair.

“Dad?”

“Hello, son,” Holden says. “It’s so good to hear your voice!”

“You too,” Luke says. “What’s going on? You said we shouldn’t call each other.”

“You can come home, Luke,” he says. “Everything’s been taken care of! Isn’t that great?”

Luke swallows around the sudden lump in his throat. “That is great,” he says. “How? What happened?”

“I hate to say this, and you know I’ve never been one of his fans, but Damian actually came through for us.”

“He did?” Luke had cut all ties with Damian after this latest drama started going down. He’d given him so many chances, and every time Luke thought he’d changed, he’d been proven wrong, and disappointed, time and again.

“The guy who was after you is now in a Maltese jail. We don’t have to worry about him, or anyone else in the Grimaldi family coming after you, according to Damian.”

“And you actually believe him?” Luke says skeptically. They’ve heard assurances like that from Damian in the past too.

“Your mother and I do,” he says. “Damian seemed very positive in a way I didn’t want to ask too many questions about, if you catch my meaning.”

Luke swallows. “Yeah, I do.”

“So,” Holden says. “Do you want me to send your grandmother’s jet to come and get you? When can you be ready?”

Annie’s surgery is tomorrow, and there’s no way Luke’s gonna break this news tonight. He doesn’t want to throw Reid’s focus off. And besides, he doesn’t want to leave until he knows Annie’s pulled through and is out of danger.

“Listen, Dad,” Luke says. “I can’t leave right away. I need to give Re— Dr. Oliver time to hire a new stable hand. I can’t just leave the horses.”

“Of course,” Holden says. “You’re right. I wasn’t thinking. You’re mother and I are just so excited about having you home!”

Luke closes his eyes. “I want to see you guys, too,” he says. “I’ve missed you all so much.”

“We miss you too, son, but do what you have to do. Let us know when you’re ready and we’ll send the jet.”

“Okay, Dad,” Luke says. “I love you.”

“Love you too.”

Luke hangs up the phone and stares at himself in the mirror, wondering why he’s not happier to be going home.

*

Luke’s quiet when he goes back to the main house, lost in thought.

“What’s up with you?” Reid finally asks after dinner, when Luke’s barely said two words.

Luke shakes his head, and smiles. “Nothing,” he says. “Just tired.”

“Let’s have an early night,” Reid says. “I need to rest up for tomorrow anyway.”

“Do you want me to go?” Luke asks. “I can sleep in my own bed tonight.”

Reid just rolls his eyes and pushes him towards the bedroom. They brush their teeth and pull off their clothes, settling into bed in just their underwear.

“Are you nervous about tomorrow?” Luke asks.

“Of course not,” Reid scoffs.

“Yes you are,” Luke says.

Reid shrugs one shoulder. “Maybe a little.”

“You’re gonna be great,” Luke says, placing a soft kiss on Reid’s mouth.

Reid smiles, and kisses him back, sighing a little when Luke pulls away. “You’re tired,” he says, and slaps Luke’s cheek lightly. “Go to sleep, we’ll celebrate tomorrow after surgery.”

Reid flicks off the lamp and spoons up behind Luke, falling asleep within seconds with that freaky doctor’s body clock of his.

Luke lies awake for hours though, thinking about the last few weeks, and the life he’s been living here.

He thinks about how much he’s enjoyed writing again, and spending time with the horses. He thinks about all the things he and Reid have done together, all the sex they’ve had, which is so incredibly good Luke spends most of his days in a post-orgasmic high of endorphins.

He thinks about Reid loosening up and letting himself have fun, and what a kick that is. He thinks about going bowling, and shopping, and watching movies with Reid.

Luke likes Reid, so much, but he doesn't know if they can sustain _whatever_ this thing is outside of the bubble they’re in.

Luke thinks about the other day when they’d been lying on the couch together watching TV. Reid had his hand under Luke’s t-shirt and was stroking his skin softly, his fingertips skimming Luke’s transplant scar over and over. Luke had rolled over onto his back and looked up at Reid, silently asking a question: _Do you want to know?_

Reid had shrugged and smiled gently, and Luke had told him everything; about how he’d started drinking when he was just a kid, about the kidney transplant, and hating himself and wishing he was dead. He told Reid what it’s like to be a drunk and needing to drink just to feel normal. He told Reid about how he’d screwed up so many times in the past, with his family, and with Noah.

And Reid had just listened. He took it all in with no judgment and then he’d kissed Luke so softly afterwards. He’d laid a trail of kisses across Luke’s scar and then made love to him slow and tender, until Luke had fallen apart in his arms, aching from the sweet release of it all.

It had been one of the most intimate things Luke’s ever done, and now he’s confused. There’s more to this thing than just a fling. Maybe a lot more, but will he still feel the same way once he's back in Oakdale? He wishes he knew the answer.

Luke sighs, shifting his head on the pillow and willing his body to relax into sleep. It’s a long time coming.

*

Luke rides in to the hospital with Reid in the morning. “Are you sure Laura won’t mind if I sit with them while you’re in surgery?”

“Victoria’s practically adopted you as a grandson, and Annie loves you, I don’t think they’ll mind if you want to be there with them.”

When they get to Annie’s room, Victoria and Juan are there, as well as Laura and a tall man Luke’s never seen before.

“Mr. Judd,” Reid says, his voice icy. “Nice of you to join us today.”

“Dr. Oliver,” he says, then glances at Luke. “Who’s he?”

“That’s Luke, Dennis,” Laura says. “He looks after Dr. Oliver’s horses, I’ve told you about him.”

“What’s he doing here?”

“Uh, I can go, if you prefer,” Luke says. “But I wanted to be here for Annie. I wasn’t sure if you’d mind...”

“Of course we don’t mind, mijo,” Victoria says and comes over to embrace him. Luke bends low to return her hug. “Thanks for coming,” she says.

Luke smiles, and goes over to shake Juan’s hand. “Good boy,” he says, his eyes crinkled in a smile, and claps Luke on the shoulder.

Dennis Judd is glaring at him, but Annie’s holding her arms up for a hug, so Luke just ignores him and gives Annie the hug she wants. She’s holding Sonny under one arm, and she’s beaming her usual smile. “Dr. Reid’s going to fix me today!”

Luke grins, and sits on the edge of her bed. “I know!” Luke says. “Are you excited?”

Annie nods. “I can’t wait to come out and see you and the horsies again!”

Luke swallows around the lump in his throat. “They can’t wait to see you either,” Luke says, then shifts off the bed so Reid can give them the pre-surgery spiel. Luke steps outside to wait, and a few moments later, the door opens and Annie’s being wheeled away to the OR. Reid tells them all to wait in the surgical waiting area.

“Good luck,” Luke whispers to Reid as he passes by.

“Don’t need it,” he says, then leans in for a quick kiss. “But thanks anyway, Luke.”

Luke shakes his head, and smiles, and Reid saunters down the hallway, looking supremely confident. Luke’s heart is practically bursting with pride.

Dennis Judd is still glaring at him, but Victoria takes Luke’s arm, her other one wrapped around Laura’s, and the three of them head to the waiting area, with Juan and Mr. Judd following.

*

The surgery is expected to take at least eight or nine hours, and they settle in for a long wait. A nurse comes out to give them periodic updates, but time seems to drag on incredibly slowly.

Mr. Judd doesn’t sit still, and his pacing is driving Luke a little nuts. Victoria glares at him, so it must be annoying her too, but if he gets the hint, he ignores it anyway. He leaves around 11:00, muttering something about needing fresh air.

He’s still not back by lunchtime, and Luke heads to the cafeteria, returning with sandwiches and drinks for everyone.

Victoria smiles and pats his cheek, and Laura finally lets go of Victoria’s arm long enough to pick up her sandwich and take a few bites. “Thanks, Luke,” she says. “It’s good that you came.”

Luke nods, and returns her smile. “I wouldn’t be anywhere else.”

Dennis Judd finally comes back around 2:00, and resumes his pacing. Everyone ignores him. The doors from the OR burst open around 3:00, and Luke doesn’t even have to ask how it went, because Reid’s got a huge smile on his face as he pulls down his surgical mask.

“Oh!” Luke hears Laura’s cry of relief, and she and Victoria pull each other close in a hug.

Reid nods. “It went perfectly,” he says. “No hitches, tumors all gone. She’ll be awake in a few hours.”

“Thank you,” Laura says, and hugs him. “Thank you so much!”

Reid awkwardly pats her back, and then she releases him, turning to hug Juan.

Dennis Judd doesn’t say anything, just skulks at the back of the room, and everyone seems perfectly happy to keep ignoring him.

Juan shakes Reid’s hand and claps him on the shoulder so many times he’s probably leaving a bruise. “Thank you!” Juan keeps saying. “Thank you! Thank you!”

Luke can’t stop smiling, and when Reid finally manages to get away from Juan, he saunters up to Luke.

“Pretty impressive, huh?” Reid says, waggling his eyebrows.

Luke laughs. “Very impressive, Dr. Oliver,” Luke says, and steps in close for a quick kiss.

Reid slaps his cheek lightly, and then turns back to the family. He waits for them to settle down and stop hugging each other and says, “Annie will be in isolation for a couple hours. Once she’s moved back to her room, you guys can go in. She should be awake around dinner time.”

They all thank Reid again, and then Reid indicates with his head that Luke should follow him out to the hallway.

“Her post-op scans are good,” Reid says. “There’s not too much else I can do here until she wakes up. I’ll drive you home and then come back later.”

“Sure,” Luke says. “Sounds good.”

“Give me 15 minutes to shower and change,” he says. “I’ll meet you back here.”

Luke nods, and Reid disappears down the hallway.


	8. Chapter 8

When they get home from the hospital, Reid throws together a huge sandwich and eats it standing up at the counter. “Starving,” he mumbles with his mouth full.

Luke’s disturbed that he finds that charming, instead of gross, and wonders when Reid’s appalling manners started to turn him on instead of off.

Afterwards, Reid flops onto the couch, and Luke sits next to him. “Tired?”

Reid nods. “But I’m still running on adrenaline, too,” he says. “It always feels like this after a successful surgery. The high doesn’t wear off for a while.”

“Do you wanna take a nap?” Luke asks.

“Hell no,” Reid says, and drags Luke down. “I want to fuck you,” he says against Luke’s ear. “Best way to get rid of nervous energy.”

Luke snorts. Reid said something similar after their first time. Luke’s not sure he can handle anything too emotionally intense right now, not with the news he has to break later, but Reid’s apparently not in the mood for slow and gentle anyway, and when he flips Luke over roughly and yanks down his jeans, Luke’s body gets with the program fast.

He’s already hard by the time Reid’s got the condom on, and he shivers with excitement as he gets onto his knees and Reid slides into him from behind. The fuck is fast and hard, and when Reid mouths at Luke’s neck, biting into the tendons as he comes, Luke shoots so hard it hits him on the chin, and Reid laughs as Luke collapses spent, then licks Luke’s come off him.

Reid goes back to the hospital afterwards, and when he gets home, he tells Luke Annie’s doing fine.

“That’s so great,” Luke says sincerely. “I’m so happy for Laura and Victoria and Juan. Dennis Judd is kind of a dick, though.”

Reid snorts. “Tell me about it. I almost fainted when I saw him in Annie’s room this morning. It’s been so long since he bothered to show up at the hospital, I almost didn’t recognize him.”

Luke exhales, and bites his lip.

“What?”

“I have to talk to you,” Luke says. “I have some news.”

“Okay,” Reid says cautiously. “What is it?”

Luke hesitates. “My dad called,” he finally says. “It’s safe for me to go home.”

Reid stares at him for a long moment, and then looks away, shaking his head.

Luke wipes his sweaty palms against his jeans.

“Right,” Reid says, standing up and putting some distance between them. “Of course. You’re going back. This was always a short term thing. We both knew that.”

“Reid—” Luke doesn’t know what to say. He wants to go home, and see his family, but he wants to stay here, too.

“No, no,” Reid says, his voice cold. “You don’t need to make any excuses. ”

Luke frowns. “I wasn’t going to make any excuses,” he says. “I hope you know how much our time together has meant to me, but my family...”

“Comes first,” Reid says. “I know.”

Luke shakes his head. “I’m not explaining myself very well.”

“I get you just fine,” Reid says. “So, when are you leaving?”

“I don’t know yet,” Luke says. “I wanted to give you time to find someone to look after the horses.”

Reid nods. “I’ll get Nancy onto that right away. With any luck, it should only take a day or two.”

“Take as much time as you need, Reid,” Luke says. “I’m not in a rush to go back, really.”

“Aren’t you just dying to get back to mommy and daddy?” Reid says snidely. “And your foundation, let’s not forget that. You can finally get back to all those exciting projects you were working on, none of which involve shovelling horse crap.”

“Reid, don’t be a jerk.”

“I _am_ a jerk, Mr. Snyder, or have you forgotten?”

“Reid...” Luke closes his eyes and shakes his head. “Don’t do this, please.”

“Don’t do what?” Reid says. “I’m not doing anything. This whole thing,” he points between them, “has been nothing but a blip on my radar. And now it’s over and life can return to normal. For both of us.”

“You don’t mean that,” Reid,” Luke says. “I know you’re upset about this but don’t do things this way.”

“Upset?” Reid’s voice hits a high pitch. “I’m not upset. This was just sex, like we said at the start, and now you’re free to go home, and it’s over. That’s it, plain and simple.”

“It’s more than just sex, Reid,” Luke says, getting pissed himself now. “Don’t belittle it.”

Reid snorts. “Maybe you thought so,” he says. “But that’s all it was to me.”

“You know what? Maybe that _is_ all it was to you,” Luke says. “God knows, you do your best not to let me get too close, always hiding behind your defense mechanisms.”

“What are you talking about?” Reid says, his voice rising.

“Your defense mechanisms, Reid, the way you keep me at arm’s length, and the way you cut people off as soon as they try and get close.”

Reid snorts and rolls his eyes.

“Like your parents, for instance,” Luke says.

Reid’s eyes narrow. “What does that have to do with anything?”

“You told me your mom never cooked because she was busy being dead,” Luke says. “But your folks didn’t die until you were _twelve_ , Reid. Don’t try and tell me you don’t remember anything that happened before you were twelve.”

Reid scoffs.

“And what about the way you take things out on Victoria when things go wrong with your patients? It’s classic displacement.”

“Don’t psychoanalyze me,” Reid says, his voice dangerously low.

“Fine!” Luke throws up his hands. “Push anyone who tries to get close to you away. Go back to being that pathetic loner you were when I arrived.”

“Don’t think you’ve done me any favors with your presence, Mr. Snyder,” Reid grits out.

“Oh no, of course not!” Luke says. “The great Dr. Oliver doesn’t need a pointless personal life, he has his _work_!” Luke stands up. “Let me know when you find someone to look after your horses.”

*

Nancy Jones calls him just after lunch the next day.

“Hi, Luke,” she says. “Dr. Oliver asked me to call and let you know your replacement will be arriving tomorrow morning.”

“Wow, that was quick.” Luke’s a little shocked, though not surprised, not after that ugly scene yesterday. Luke’s sure Reid wants him out of here as soon as possible. It hurts though, that Reid didn’t tell Luke himself, and had his assistant call instead.

“He had me make it my number one priority,” she says. “Told me you wanted to leave Dallas ASAP.”

Luke shakes his head.

“Anyway,” Nancy goes on. “He’ll arrive around 9:00 a.m tomorrow, and he will be living on site, so Dr. Oliver asked me to be sure and tell you to have your things packed and cleared out, though I suppose you’ve already done most of that if you’re in a hurry to leave town.”

Luke clears his throat. “Will do,” he says. “Thanks, Nancy, for everything.”

“Sure thing, honey. New guy’s name is Matthew Riggs. I told him you’d be expecting him.”

Luke thanks Nancy again and she wishes him luck, and tells him to take care.

Luke sighs and rubs his hands over his eyes and into his hair, raking through it in frustration. How the hell had everything gotten so out of control? Yesterday, he and Reid had been good, and today, Reid can’t get him out of here fast enough.

Luke boots up his laptop and looks for flights from Dallas to Oakdale. There’s one tomorrow afternoon, and Luke makes a reservation, deciding it will be faster than having his grandmother’s jet dispatched. He texts his flight details to his parents, not trusting his voice to call them right now, then heads out to the barn to saddle up Storm. He doesn’t want to think right now, just escape to the simple pleasure of fresh air and exercise, so he climbs onto the horse and lets him lead the charge around the pasture.

When they return almost an hour later, Luke’s head is a little clearer, but his heart is just as heavy as it was before.

Luke gets the horses squared away and then decides to head inside and say goodbye to Victoria. He’s not sure if she’s coming into work tomorrow, and he doesn’t want to miss his chance.

He lets himself in the back door and heads for the kitchen. She’s usually there at this time of the day. When he hears Reid’s voice though, he stops short. He must have arrived while Luke was out riding, because he hadn’t heard the car before that.

“I'm fine,” he hears Reid say. “Stop making this into a goddamn fairytale romance. It was a screw. A nice time, but now it's done.”

“Mijo—” Victoria begins.

“I've told you, don't call me that,” he snaps.

“Fine, _Dr_. Oliver. Luke is more than just that, and we both know it.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Victoria chuckles. “You think you’re Mr. Tough Guy, huh,” she says gently. “But you don’t fool me. And you don’t fool Luke, either.”

“You don’t even know him,” Reid snorts derisively.

“I know he’s a good man,” Victoria says. “And I know he likes you and that you like him. And I know you two could be happy together, if you let each other. And that’s all I need to know, mijo.”

He hears Victoria’s shoes start to click on the floorboards, and he backs away down the hallway and heads for his quarters before he’s discovered.

Victoria knocks on his door a few minutes later, her purse over her shoulder and car keys in her hand.

“Victoria,” Luke says, a lump in his throat.

She takes one look at him and shakes her head affectionately. “Mijo,” she says, patting his cheek. “What’s going on?”

Luke just shakes his head and lets her in, and they sit at the table together. Luke sighs, and fiddles with the petals of one of the daisies in a vase on the table.

“You’re leaving tomorrow?”

Luke nods. “I have to go see my family, Victoria,” he says. “I haven’t talked to them or seen them since I came out here. It’s time for me to go back.”

“Of course you want to see your family,” she says kindly. “But what about you and Dr. Oliver?”

“It’s complicated,” Luke says.

Victoria smiles kindly. “I’m sure it is, mijo,” she says. “But I’m also sure that whatever he said to you that’s making you run away so fast, he didn’t mean it.”

Luke snorts. “We both said some pretty crappy things.”

“But he likes you, Luke,” she says. “I’ve never seen him like this before.”

Luke sighs. “I like him too, Victoria. So much. But I have to go home and see my family, and well, I don’t know if this makes sense but I need time away from here, too. To figure out if this thing with Reid is real or if it was just... I don’t know, because I was out here all alone, and Reid was lonely too, and we just...” Luke shrugs one shoulder.

Victoria smiles, and pats his hand. “Go home, mijo,” she says. “See your family, kiss your little sister.”

“Oh no, Annie,” Luke says. “I’m sorry I won’t have time to see her. Will you tell her goodbye for me?”

Victoria smiles and stands up, pulling Luke into a hug. “Of course I will,” she says. She’s soft and comforting against him, and he clings to her tightly for a moment, swallowing a sudden lump in his throat.

“Hasta luego, mijo,” Victoria says, and pats his cheek one last time.

Luke watches her disappear around the side of the house and sighs, leaning against the door jamb. He considers going over to the house, but like he told Victoria, he needs a little distance from Reid right now, to figure out if what they have is real, or was just some kind of isolation fling. And besides, Luke really is dying to see his family again. He should just go. Now’s not the time for another confrontation, not while Reid’s still so pissed at him.

*

His whole family is waiting for him at Oakdale airport. Ethan and Natalie run up to him while the others follow behind, and he drops down to his knees to hug them both at the same time. Faith’s doing her best impression of a moody teenager, but even she manages to crack a smile when Luke forces her into a hug.

“I missed you, Faithy,” he says, and she rolls her eyes.

“Whatever. I missed you, too.”

Luke grins and pulls back and then his dad is hugging him and kissing him on the side of the head, and then it’s his mom’s turn, and he clings to her for a long time, smelling her familiar perfume as they rock in each other’s arms.

“We all missed you so much, baby,” she says.

“I missed you guys so much,” Luke says. “I’m so glad you’re all safe.”

“You too, baby,” she says. “You don’t have to worry about a thing anymore.”

*

Oakdale is a shock to Luke’s system after the quiet and relative solitude he’s been living in in Dallas. Faith’s in the middle of one of her teen dramas, which apparently includes a lot of shouting between her and his mom, and doors in the house being slammed loudly. Natalie and Ethan are loud too, in that boisterous way all kids are. Luke’s sort of forgotten.

Luke sleeps alone for the first time in weeks that night, and while it’s comforting to be back in his old bedroom, surrounded by his own things again; his books, his high school basketball trophies, and all the reminders of his childhood, he can’t help but feel like he’s outgrown the person that used to live here. And more than anything, he misses Reid’s arm draped over him in bed.

They go to the farm for a dinner in Luke’s honor the next night. Luke spends a long time hugging his grandma and is kind of shocked to realize it makes him miss Victoria.

Emma’s made all of Luke’s favorite foods from when he was little, and his family tucks into a meal of mac and cheese and fried chicken, with chocolate cake for dessert.

Luke goes out to the barn after dinner, and breathes in the familiar smell of hay and horses.

“Hiya, boy,” Luke says, stroking Mercury, his favorite horse. “How ya doing, big guy?”

Mercury nickers and moves closer to Luke.

“I missed you too. How about we go riding tomorrow? It’s been a long time, I know.”

Mercury nickers again, and Luke smiles, placing a kiss on his nose.

Luke thinks about Sonny and Storm, and he hopes the new kid, Matt, knows what he’s doing, and looks after them properly. He seemed competent enough, but Luke’s protective of his boys.

Luke sighs, wondering why everything in Oakdale just makes him miss Dallas even more.

*

Luke checks in at the Foundation, and is pleased with the work that’s been done in his absence. The place runs well without Luke’s physical presence. All of their current projects are on track, and the new proposals and applications for grants that came in while Luke was away are being handled by his more-than capable staff.

Luke goes out to the farm in the afternoon and takes Mercury out for a ride. When he gets back to the barn his dad’s in there, cleaning tack.

“Hey, son,” Holden says. “Good ride?”

Luke nods. “I guess I got used to riding out in Dallas. I forgot how much I missed it. I never seemed to have time before.”

Holden shrugs easily. “You were busy,” he says, then a moment later. “Have you heard from Noah lately?”

Luke snorts as he takes down Mercury’s saddle. “No. I haven’t talked to him in months.”

“Why don’t you call him,” Holden says gently. “I can tell you’re not happy, Luke.”

Luke looks up, startled. “You can?”

Holden chuckles. “Give me some credit, Luke,” he says. “I know you pretty well.”

Luke smiles a little sadly as he starts grooming Mercury.

“Call him,” Holden says. “Or go out to L.A. and see him. I know heartbreak when I see it, son, and I don’t want that for you. You know your mother and I just want you to be happy.”

Luke takes a deep breath. “I am in love,” he says. “But not with Noah.”

“What?” Holden laughs, confused.

“I’m in love with Reid,” Luke says. “Oliver. Dr. Oliver, in Dallas.”

It’s true. If Luke’s being honest, he knew it was true even before he left Dallas. What they had wasn’t a summer fling. It’s real, and if Reid’s too chicken to say it, Luke’s going to have to go there and drag it out of him.

“The guy who bought the horses?” Holden asks.

Luke nods. “We started... dating while I was out there,” he says. “I miss him, Dad. That’s why I’m sad. It’s not Noah. It hasn’t been Noah for a long time.”

“And does this man feel the same way about you?”

Luke nods. “Yeah,” Luke says. “I’m pretty sure he does.”

“Pretty sure?”

Luke shrugs. “I’m sure. But he’s kind of... stubborn. When I told him I was coming back to Oakdale we didn’t exactly leave things on good terms.”

Holden puts down the pieces of bridle he’s re-assembling. “What do you want to do, son?”

“I want to go back to Dallas,” Luke says. “I want to be with him.”

“But Oakdale’s your home.”

Luke smiles. “It is,” he says. “And all you guys are here and I love you so much.”

Holden nods.

“But Dallas feels like home to me now too. Reid feels like home.”

Holden’s silent for a long moment, and Luke feels nervous, hoping for his dad’s approval more than just about anything.

“Well,” Holden finally says. “We’re going to miss you, but you better expect company, because we're all going to come and visit you. A lot!”

Luke laughs, and pulls his dad into a hug. “You better.”

> Lukas escaped the stable block as soon as soon as he dared the next morning, seeking the comfort of his and Jude’s special place in the Oak grove. When Jude arrived, a sob burst from Lukas’s throat, and he flung himself into Jude’s arms.
> 
> “What’s wrong?” Jude asked, holding him tightly, the concern evident in his voice. “Has something happened? Are you all right, Lukas? Tell me you’re all right!”
> 
> Lukas nodded, his face buried in Jude’s shoulder. “I’m all right, Jude,” Lukas said shakily.
> 
> “No, you are not!” Jude said. “You are worrying me, my love. Do calm yourself and tell me what’s happened.”
> 
> Lukas nodded, and extricated himself from Jude’s arms, looking around to make sure Noah was not spying on them again. “Let’s sit behind the wall,” Lukas said, and Jude nodded, steering them both to their hiding place with his arm around Lukas’s shoulder.
> 
> When they were seated, Jude used his soft handkerchief to wipe Lukas’s eyes dry. “Come now, my love,” he said kindly. “Tell me what’s got you so upset.”
> 
> Lukas took a deep breath. “We have been discovered, Jude.”
> 
> Jude’s eyes widened momentarily. “By whom?”
> 
> “Noah,” Lukas said, then closed his eyes as a single tear escaped down his cheek.
> 
> “Tell me exactly what’s happened,” Jude asked kindly but firmly.
> 
> Lukas took another deep breath. “He came to me yesterday,” Lukas said. “He said he saw us here, together, and he threatened to tell your father! You’ll be taken away and I’ll never see you again!”
> 
> “Hush,” Jude said, holding him close. “I won’t allow that to happen. What does he want, Lukas? Does he want money for his silence? I can arrange it, you know.”
> 
> Lukas shook his head. “He wants... he wants me to stop seeing you, to... return to him.”
> 
> “What?” Jude laughed incredulously. “But he is married now. And I know what he told you all those weeks ago.”
> 
> Lukas nodded. He’d told Jude all of the details of his relationship with Noah, including how it ended.
> 
> “I know!” Lukas said. “I can scarcely believe it myself. What are we going to do, Jude?” Lukas cried. “I can’t go back to him! But if he tells your father...”
> 
> Jude held him close and placed a reassuring kiss on his forehead. “Neither of those things are going to happen,” Jude said. “I won’t let them.”
> 
> “But how are you going to stop him?” Lukas felt all at sea, unable to see a way out of this dire situation.
> 
> “There is something I haven’t told you, my love,” Jude said. “Something I had not wanted to trouble you with.”
> 
> “What is it?” Lukas asked, alarmed.
> 
> “My father has been becoming rather... insistent that I find a wife,” Jude said. “And soon. He wishes me to be married by Michelmas.”
> 
> “Michelmas!” Lukas was dismayed. “But that is just a few weeks away!”
> 
> Jude nodded. “He has set his designs on a union between myself and the daughter of a baronet from Shropshire. I have met her twice,” Jude said. “She is a pretty, amiable sort of girl, but of course I feel nothing for her.”
> 
> Lukas heart was pounding in his chest, and a cold feeling of dread was descending upon him.
> 
> “And what does your father say?” Lukas all but whispered.
> 
> “Both our family’s support the union,” Jude said. “I am expected to propose to her soon. This week, in fact.”
> 
> Lukas felt as though his heart was being squeezed in a vice. “No,” he whispered. “No.”
> 
> “Of course not, Lukas!” Jude said. “I will not marry her! I have no wish to marry her!”
> 
> “But you will have to,” Lukas said despondently. “It is your duty. You must do as your father commands you.”
> 
> “No!” Jude said fiercely. “I will not! My heart belongs to _you_ , Lukas. Only to you.”
> 
> “Do you mean that, Jude?” Lukas asked, his heart hammering in his chest. As yet, they had not exchanged words of love, but Lukas felt them, and he knew Jude did too.
> 
> Jude nodded solemnly. “I love you, Lukas,” he said. “So very much.”
> 
> “Oh!” Lukas said, falling into Jude’s arms. “I love you, too. So much!”
> 
> Lukas pulled back from the embrace and kissed Jude firmly on the mouth, before asking, “What in heavens are we going to do?”
> 
> Jude took a steadying breath. “I have been thinking of a plan for a while,” he said. “But I’m afraid you will not like it.”
> 
> “Will we be together?” Lukas asked.
> 
> Jude nodded.
> 
> “Then I shall like it,” Lukas said, holding Jude’s hands in his own. “Now, tell me everything.”
> 
> *
> 
> The details were decided later that night. Lukas had confided in his mother, telling her not only of his love for Jude, and of Jude’s in return, but of Noah’s role in the situation.
> 
> “Oh, you’ve gotten yourself into a great mess, my darling,” she said.
> 
> “I’m sorry, mamma,” Lukas said. “I’m sorry I’ve disappointed you, but I... I love Jude, I do. I’ve never loved a woman, I simply can not.”
> 
> “Oh, Lukas,” Lilian said, embracing him. “I am not disappointed. You are my son and I love you. I am saddened however, that you find yourself in such an untenable position. These circumstances are difficult indeed.”
> 
> “Will you help us, mamma?”
> 
> Lilian nodded. “Do not despair, my darling boy,” she said. “We will make things right.”
> 
> With a lighter heart, Lukas returned to the stable block to make his preparations.
> 
> *
> 
> Very early the following morning, Lukas and Holden met Lillian and Jude by the stable block. The men were still asleep, and the morning sun had not yet breached the horizon. Lukas had little with him, just a small bag with some garments, the money his mother and Holden had given him, and the volumes of poetry he treasured above all.
> 
> Lukas embraced his mother for a long moment, both of them holding back tears.
> 
> “I shall miss you, mamma,” Lukas said. Lilian nodded and stroked his hair as she had done when he was a child.
> 
> “And I shall miss you too, my darling boy.” She turned to Jude. “Look after him,” she said, and Jude nodded solemnly. “I will, Mrs. Smith,” he said. “I shall protect him with my life.”
> 
> Lilian nodded, and embraced Lukas once more. “Write me as soon as you can,” she said.
> 
> “I will,” Lukas nodded. “When Jude and I are arrived in America, I shall write directly.”
> 
> Lilian looked worried, and Lukas did his best to reassure her. “The war is over, mamma,” he said. “The seas are safe once more, and Jude and I will have no trouble.”
> 
> Lilian still looked troubled, but she managed to produce a small smile. “Go on, then,” she said. “Off with you both. I shall await my first letter from my American cousins, Messrs. Oliver and Luke Walsh.”
> 
> Lukas smiled and gave his mother one final embrace. “Holden is a good man,” he whispered in her ear. “I wish you both happiness.”
> 
> His mother pulled back from the hug and smiled at him. “Travel in safety, my boy,” she said, and kissed his cheek.
> 
> Lukas and Jude climbed into the small carriage, and waved goodbye to Lilian as Holden drove them away from Oakdale Hall.
> 
> “Are you sure about all this, Jude?” Lukas asked, one last time. “I have little to lose, but you have so much.”
> 
> “The money and the land mean nothing to me, my love, if I cannot share them with you,” he said. “I am most sure.”
> 
> Lukas smiled. “Then let us begin our new life together,” he said. “We shall make a surgeon of you yet, cousin Oliver.”
> 
> Jude laughed, then turned serious. “I am honored you chose to share my name, Mr. Walsh.”
> 
> “The honor is mine, Mr. Walsh,” he said, clasping Jude’s hand tightly as they rode toward their destiny.

Luke’s mom cries when he tells her.

“I’m sorry,” Luke says, as she hugs him tight.

“No, no, baby,” she says. “Don’t be sorry. I want you to do what makes you happy.”

She finally releases him, and dabs at her runny mascara with a tissue. “I’m just going to miss you so much, and the kids will too.”

“You might be ruining your make-up for nothing, Mom,” Luke says. “He might not even want me to move out there.”

“You have to follow your heart, baby,” she says. “And of course he’ll want you to move out there. How could he not love you, Luke?”

Luke smiles. “I hope so, Mom. And I’ll miss you guys too, but we can call each other all the time. I can Skype with the kids! It won’t be like before when we couldn’t even talk to each other. And you guys can come and visit. Reid’s house is really big, there’s plenty of room.”

Luke swallows nervously, and after a moment Lily smiles. “I have always enjoyed Dallas.”

Luke grins and pulls her into another hug. “Thanks, Mom.”

*

Things move quickly then. There are more tears from Ethan and Natalie when Luke tells them he’s leaving again, but he placates them with promises that they can come out and visit really soon and see Sonny and Storm. Faith is sullen, and tells him Texas sucks, despite the fact she’s never even been. Luke just hugs her and tells her he’ll change her mind about that, and manages to get a smile and a promise she’ll be good from her before he leaves.

Luke’s packed and ready to go within a day, and he heads out to the farm to say goodbye to his grandma and the horses before he goes.

“Bye, big guy,” Luke says, stroking Mercury’s neck. “I’ll miss you.”

“They don’t talk back, you know.”

Luke spins around and his eyes widen in shock. “Reid?”

Reid shrugs self-consciously. “Your grandmother said I’d find you out here,” he says. “Is she the one who taught you to cook?”

Luke nods, dumbfounded.

“Think she’ll invite me to stay for dinner?”

Luke blinks. “What are you doing here, Reid?”

Reid clears his throat, swallowing nervously. “The horses miss you,” he says. “You have to come back.”

Luke bites back a smile. “The horses miss me, huh?”

Reid nods. “And the new stable boy sucks. He doesn’t even put out.”

“Reid!”

Reid grins. “And I might miss you too. A very little bit.”

“ _Reid_.”

Reid pulls a sheet of paper out of his back pocket and unfolds it. “This is for you,” he says, walking over.

“What is it?”

Reid hands it over. It’s a child’s drawing of a little girl, a couple of brown horses, a rainbow and a few oversized flowers. _We miss you Luke! Come back! Love from Annie!_ scrawled in shaky purple crayon.

“This is absolutely _shameless_ , Dr. Oliver.”

Reid smiles crookedly. “I needed all the ammo I could get,” he says, then turns serious. “I was a jerk, and I’m sorry. And I, uh, want you to come back to Dallas with me. If you want.”

Reid taps his hand against his thigh nervously, and pulls his lower lip into his mouth.

Luke considers letting him stew for a while, but a smile’s threatening to overtake his face, and he doesn’t think he can hold it back. He doesn’t even want to try.

“I was actually just on my way to the airport,” Luke says casually.

“Oh,” Reid says. “Business trip?”

Luke shakes his head. “I was on my way to Dallas,” he says. “There’s this guy there, he’s a real jackass, but I— I love him.” Luke swallows.

Reid’s lips twitch. “You love him, huh?”

Luke nods.

“That’s fortunate,” Reid says. “Because he loves you too.”

Luke grins and wraps his arms around Reid’s waist, pulling their bodies close together. “So, Dr. Oliver,” he says. “How do you feel about having a live-in boyfriend?”

Reid tilts his head, thinking. “I’m amenable to the idea, Mr. Snyder.”

“That’s good,” Luke nods seriously. “Because I’ve already invited my family to come up and stay with us when they visit.”

Reid snorts. “Pretty sure of yourself, Mr. Snyder.”

Luke nods. “I’m sure,” he says seriously.

Reid looks at Luke with soft eyes as he thumbs the cleft in Luke’s chin. “Me too,” he says quietly, and leans in for a kiss.

Luke’s insides flip, and he smiles against Reid’s mouth. Reid’s tongue tastes sweet and familiar, and as the kiss goes on, and the sound of Mercury snorting behind him fades away, Luke finally feels like he’s home.

*

 _Epilogue._

 

Luke smiles as he hangs up the phone, and then heads out towards the barn.

“Hey, Victoria?”

“Yes, mijo?”

“I just spoke to my mom. She and my dad are coming to visit on the weekend, can you get their room ready please?”

“Of course, mijo!” Victoria smiles. “It will be nice to see them again.”

Luke grins. “I know! I can’t wait.”

“Are they bringing the kids?”

Luke shakes his head. “Not this time,” he says. “Faith’s coming but she’s staying in the dorms at SMU. They’re having campus tours this week.”

The last time Luke’s family had been out to visit, Faith had met a cute sophomore from Southern Methodist University and decided that Texas didn’t suck so much after all. She’d declared that she was moving to Dallas for college and would not be going to Oakdale U after all.

His parents hadn’t been too happy. Faith’s a handful, and has a tendency to get a little out of control if they don’t keep a close eye on her. Still, Faith had been adamant and it looks like it’s practically a done deal.

Luke’s happy though. It means his family will be out here visiting even more than they already do, and it’ll be nice to have his sister living so close. He can keep an eye on her, too.

“Where’s Annie?” Luke asks.

Victoria points to the pasture. Annie’s encouraging Sally, one of the little girls with autism, to ride Fifi, their newest pony.

Annie’s been cancer free for almost a year now. Luke smiles as he watches her interact with the kids in the program. Luke’s pretty sure she’s got a career in pediatrics ahead of her, despite the fact she tells everyone she’s going to be a brain doctor, just like Dr. Reid.

Luke gets a real kick out of how crazy about Reid Annie is. She follows him around the place like a groupie, asking questions about brain cortices and tumors, and which med school she should go to. It’s pretty hilarious.

Reid’s a total sucker for her, too. If Luke wasn’t in love with Reid already, seeing the way he is with Annie would have done it. Luke knows Reid's going to make a great dad some day.

Their barn now houses four ponies, as well as Sonny and Storm. Luke’s foundation opened a therapeutic horseback riding center at the house a few months after Luke moved to Dallas, and now they have a group of volunteers who work out of his old quarters, which have been converted into an office.

They have kids out at the house for horse therapy every Tuesday. Their accredited instructor is a guy named James, who’s the sweetest, most laid-back man Luke’s ever met. Nothing ever seems to faze him, and he’s great with the kids. He’s also drop-dead gorgeous, tall and well-built, with wavy blond hair and a killer smile. Luke and Reid have both spent plenty of time together ogling him over the barn gate.

Laura volunteers with the program every week, and is training to become accredited as a therapy instructor too.

Luke’s pretty sure James has a crush on Laura, but he's too shy to make the first move. Her divorce from Dennis Judd was finalized six months ago, and if the way she drools over James when he’s not looking is any indication, she’s just as interested in him as Luke suspects he is in her.

She deserves some happiness after the difficulties of the past year, and Luke makes a note to ask Reid to give Laura a nudge in James’s direction. Laura and Reid have become pretty good friends, and Luke knows she'll listen to him.

When Luke approached Reid with the idea for opening the center, Reid just shrugged and said, “Whatever”, but Luke knows he’s pretty proud of it, and the work they do there, too.

Luke works from home these days. They converted the smallest bedroom into an office for him. He checks in with his Foundation once a week via teleconference, and they manage to get by just fine with phone calls and email the rest of the time.

Luke only works on one Foundation project at a time now and spends most of his days writing. He’s working on a novel at the moment, and he completed a screenplay a few months ago that was sold to a producer in Hollywood. Luke was thrilled, of course, but that was nothing compared to how ridiculously proud of him Reid was. Luke gets giddy just thinking about it.

Luke helps Victoria put fresh sheets on the bed in one of the guest bedrooms in preparation for his parents’ visit, and then walks her out to her car and waves goodbye as she drives home.

Luke walks through the house, running his hand along some of the new furniture he and Reid picked out together, a smile on his face as he remembers them choosing each piece.

Luke loves Dallas, and while he misses Oakdale sometimes, he loves their house, and their horses, and the life he and Reid are building together more than anything.

The place is quiet now that everyone’s gone home for the day, and Luke heads into the kitchen to get started on dinner.

Reid should be home soon, and as Luke grabs ingredients out of the pantry and begins assembling them on the counter, he decides to mess up the cans in the pantry a little. The last time he did that, Reid punished him by bending him over the kitchen table and spanking him until his ass was red, then Reid fucked him so hard his hips bruised from where they dug into the timber.

Luke grins, and messes up the Tupperware, too.


End file.
